Every site owner will invariably encounter a situation where a member (or guest that happens upon your site) will take your work and start their own site with it. So with that in mind, here is what to do about it.
I've heard people say they'd be flattered. But in truth most people who say that have likely never actually had it happen to them. And having been on sites that were ripped off, you don't feel flattered when it happens... you feel angry, insulted, sad, violated and annoyed (but not flattered).
1- Determination
Before you even consider accusing someone of theft, you absolutely need to make sure theft actually occurred. There are some things that cannot be classified as theft and attempting to report on these are exercises in futility. (No host is going to ever take action on them, you might as well save your time/energy.) Those things are:
* Ideas
* Public domain images
* Segments of code (a line or two of Javascript that does something neat can't be copyrighted. But a 75 line one that affects multiple specific parts of your site? Little bit of a different story.)
* Generic names (so if your character is named Bob, submitting a claim on the name Bob will get you ignored.)
* Derivative works (If you are a canon based roleplay and elements of canon material get taken, thus you are not the copyright holder, there is nothing you can actually do. Even if what was taken was in your writing. You still don't own it and can't make any claims on it.)
For skins, check the source code to see whether they used your exact skin (like it has: your credits in the CSS, lines that you included, links to your images or etc... ) or it's just very similar.
Remember that even if a skin looks similar it does not mean it was copied. For example skins using black are pretty common. So you might see #000 (Black) and #A60000 (Red) used because those are common colours.
You need to actually verify they've copied before making any sorts of accusations or claims. Otherwise it looks really bad for you (especially if you make accusations publicly, which is generally a bad idea) and generally will get your claim ignored.
2- Document evidence
After you have determined that you have been stolen from, the next thing to do is grab screenshots of everything. (This is to provide proof later on.)
If you want to show exact comparison, open a tab with your site then open a new window and tab with the copycat and arrange the two windows to show both sites at once. Then take a screenshot of them both together. (Try to show the dates if possible so they can see that your content was posted first.)
Next grab all the links and store them in a text document. Make sure to clearly label what each link is and why it's included. (This will help later in case that site goes into lockdown mode, bans you or simply moves the topic to a section you can't see.)
If they stole your CSS, having a screenshot showing side by side "view source" (to show how identical your coding is) is good. And likely the only thing you'll really need.
3- Confront
Then after the evidence gathering phase, you need to contact that admin/owner of the site that has copied (privately of course) and try to reason with them. Ask them to remove anything that doesn't belong. (I recommend against just asking for credit since that sends the message that what they did was ok.)
Please do not skip this step and go right into the "Escalation" aspect (mentioned below). Most hosts will ask you if you've contacted that site to attempt resolution on your own. If you haven't they may well direct you to attempt that first. And they may not actually take action themselves (even if a proper DMCA and/or ToS report has been filed) unless the site in question has already refused to co-operate with you.
WARNING - never threaten or warn a site that you'll pursue further actions against them (like DMCA or ToS reporting) since that may cause them to go into lockdown mode. (Where guest access is restricted, they may hide or modify things to cloak their thievery and most assuredly you'll find yourself banned.)
A good sample message you can send would be:
Quote
Dear Admin of <site name>,
It has come to my attention that your site has used several pieces of content which belong to <site name>. This content being: <list of things>No permission was ever asked for this content to be used so we request that this content be removed.
Thank you for your patience and understanding,
- Admin of <your site name>.
4- Response
At this point any action they take is considered a response. Even if they don't respond at all...
if they state they will remove the stolen content, thank them for their time and understanding in this matter. However make sure to document your correspondence with them (just in case). And follow the steps under "Co-operation".
If they: don't reply within a week, reply claiming innocence or that they did nothing wrong, or after a week have yet to remove the stolen content; then proceed to the steps marked under "Escalation".
4A- Co-operation
After they've stated they would remove content watch them for a week to see if they actually did remove your work. (Some sites will tell you they'll remove your work just to get you to go away. Though they have no intention of doing anything. If this happens, go the steps listed in "Escalation".)
However if they do remove your work then check back after two weeks and 4 weeks to see if they have kept it off (and not just removed it temporarily to satisfy you).
If they have kept if off for a full month then they probably won't reuse it. Though if at any time (during the month) they restore content that was stolen from you... go right to the "Escalation" stage as at this point they have been warned, they know exactly what they're doing and have no desire to listen.
4B- Escalation
If they refuse to listen or co-operate... Then take it to the next level and submit a DMCA report to their host (you may need to do a WHOIS to get that info). Be certain to include very specific details about what is copied and from where. (So if they copy your rules word for word then include the links to their rules and your rules.)
Include every link, screenshot and conversation with the site owner you can for proof.
This will authorize the host to remove any content which doesn't belong to the copycat. Or if the DMCA report is severe enough (like enough info was copied) they may elect simply to terminate the user's site/contract without refund.
Though this should be a last ditch effort if they won't remove it on their own. Like stated in the contact section of this article, do not attempt to jump directly to this step. Most hosts will not act unless all other avenues have been attempted. Additionally be aware that filing false DMCA requests is a serious matter and should you be caught you could be held liable for civil misconduct. (Hence the reasoning for requiring all the evidence.)
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