Did a little CopyScaping tonight and found a few thieves, the first of whom is Janie Matthews of Eva Jane’s Professional Remote Office Services at: http://janie.startlogic.com/evajanes/1701.html
This Virtual Assistant stole the entire content from my Home and How It Works pages on my personal business website at www.therelief.com. She also posted the first page of our VACOC Client’s Guide to Virtual Assistants to her blog as if she had written it herself.
1. My Home Page at The Relief Virtual Assistance: http://therelief.com/
Eva Janes Home page (in PDF with stolen content highlighted): http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/infringements/1EvaJanesHomePage.pdf
2. My How It Works page at The Relief Virtual Assistance: http://therelief.com/howitworks.htm
Eva Janes How It Works page (in PDF with stolen content highlighted): http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/infringements/2EvaJanesHowItWorksPage.pdf
3. VACOC Client’s Guide to Virtual Assistants: Benefits of Support page: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/client-guide.htm
Just Josie Blog post on October 21, 2008: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/infringements/3JustJosieBlog.pdf
UPDATE 11/8/08: Got ahold of site owner Janie Matthews who hung up on me. Sent a cease & desist by email. She has 24 hours to remove my stolen intellectual property. After that it all goes to my intellectual property attorney in New York (who is a pitbull, I might add).
UPDATE 11/8/08: The email she used on her site of info@evajanes.com actually forwards to a completely different domain. I don’t know if this is one of her clients or an employer. Received an email failure message. Re-submitting cease & desist via her web form.
UPDATE 11/10/08: Web form not working. Called her and this time she was singing a different tune. Says she will delete everything and that she hired a web-designer off Craigslist. Swore she would send me so-called designer’s name and info.
UPDATE 11/10/08: Got an email from infringer and it appears she has taken down all pages. Says she can’t find designer’s contact info but that she will dig around and email me back.
UPDATE 11/14/08: Still no word. I think it’s BS, but I’m holding her to her word. If there IS a so-called web designer scamming people on Craigslist and stealing content from other Virtual Assistants, I want to not only put them on notice, but also warn others.
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, the virtual assistant term is really completely idiotic to...
6 Comments
Whoa…..can we say busted!?!
I don’t understand why they would copy almost all you content and not give credit where credit is due.
I mean, wow, your sites rock! You work very hard at what you do to assume the role you have in the virtual assistant community. Heck, you created the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce.
You put forth a lot of time making your sites the work of art they are today.
You post tons of free content that is permissible to use with proper acknowledgment. Correct me if I’m wrong because I’ve seen a few sites with links pointing over here…ahem….mine for example. You are an expert….I admire your work.
Heck….you are sooo good you would copy yourself. All jokes aside, I’m glad you were aware of the scandalous occurrence.
Trudy
Este Dia Virtual Assistant
trudy@estediava.com
How would you go about finding out if someone has ripped you off?
I do a cursory check once a month using Copyscape.
I don’t obsess over it too much because you can waste a lot of time and energy that can be put to better use, but when it comes across right in front of my nose and it’s completely blatant, I definitely pursue it. I’m also really sick of the decline of our society’s ethics and morals so I like to pull up the rock the slimeballs live under and expose them. That behavior is more commonplace today, I think, because everyone is so freaking afraid of speaking up and saying something.
At the same time, trademark law requires you to protect your ownerships so on the more important stuff, you can have an Intellectual Property attorney monitor certain things for you (it’s a service they commonly provide).
You can also set up key words and phrases in Google Alerts as well as do periodic searches in your browser.
Thanks, Danielle. I have checked out Copyscape and will check it out from time to time. I had one more question that I can’t seem to find an answer on and thought you might be able to help. I’ve noticed privacy, terms of use, copywrite, and other legal links on almost everyone’s websites. Is there a site you can visit to help set up the legal jargon, or do you just create it yourself and label your site as copywrited/protected? Thanks again and have a fabulous week!
Glad to help, Becky. You’re referring to a couple different things. As far as privacy, terms of use, etc., these are kinds of legal CYA (cover your ass) agreements and protections. I had my attorney write mine up and I would advise anyone else to do the same. Laypeople who try to practice law don’t know what they’re doing and there are too many mistakes they commonly make trying to do it themselves and save a few bucks. Not wise.
As far as copyright, your work is protected the minute you create it in some tangible form. The notice doesn’t have to be there, but dimwits always needs something obvious to remind them that stealing is wrong. So it doesn’t hurt to include it along with any other language that tells people you take your business interests seriously; no, they may not steal your hard work and yes, you will go after anyone who unlawfully infringes upon your protected works or otherwise engages in unfair trade practices. Additionally, you don’t need to “protect your rights or lose them” as you do with trademark rights. You never lose your rights to your own original works.
Here are some links to my preferred primers:
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html
http://www.oliversabec.com/about_our_firm/legalities.htm
http://www.keytlaw.com/Copyrights/top10myths.htm#citizen
Danielle:
I don’t understand why people do that.
Did they learn nothing in school about taking credit from other people. Award credit where credit is due. You know “References” or “Bibliography”. They must have never written a book report, research paper, thesis, dissertation while in the education system. And they’ve probably never seen computer either. If you believe that I have a bridge to sell you. :O)
Your site has been so helpful to me. In creating my site I was finding it difficult to come up with more than four sentences on being an ethical VA. My list of will not’s was so much easier. So I did a search on Google for the “ethical practices of a good VA” and your site came up. Your code of ethics was spot on on what I wanted to include on my lists of Do’s. Which I might add was cited and linked correctly. (*Source: VACOC Model Code of Professional Conduct & Ethics for Virtual Assistants).
In researching further I found your blog and wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you and hope my citation is okay with you. If not, just let me know and I’ll take it down immediately!!!!
With the completion of my site I hope that I may add and be welcomed as a member of the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce.
Keep up the great work in keeping people honest. It’s a rare quality no a days.
Toya
Soon to be a Virtual PA