Busting Online Copyright Thieves

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How safe is anyone's ...
... imagine my surprise when I clicked on a website link ...
that someone had not only copied my website to ... - but was selling my ebook and und How safe is anyone's copyright online?Well imagine my surprise when I clicked on a website link todiscover that someone had not only copied my website to theirserver - but was selling my ebook and undercutting me in theprocess! Some dishonest person operating from Eastern Europehad literally stolen my entire business and I discovered itonly by sheer luck.After some very lengthy and threatening emails I got them shutdown, but the question remains, how safe is your copyrightonline and what can you do to protect it?Traditionally written works have enjoyed copyright protectionnot only through the rule of law, but also because of thephysical difficulty in stealing another person's work.
Let'sface it, photocopying a 200 page book rates about as much funas watching paint dry and at 5 cents a page you're talking aquick ten dollar printing bill.If you steal someone's book, print up a thousand copies andtry to get it onto the local bookstore's shelves, the chancesof getting caught rank pretty high.But the online world has changed those rules and physicalsafeguards significantly. The Internet, email and the Web makeit easier than ever to steal someone else's work.
With themost basic skills and a few mouse clicks, someone can takeyour book, your website, and along with it weeks, months, andeven years of your hard work.Though intellectual property and international copyright lawsapply to online works, enforcement of those laws is expensiveand, in many cases, hard to enforce.Well don't despair, you do have options if you find someonehas violated your copyright online. Anytime I find someoneviolating my copyright, which isn't very often, I take thesethree steps in rapid-fire fashion.First, make 100% sure the other person realizes they haveviolated your copyright.
You can send them a nice but firmnote telling them to stop whatever activity violates yourcopyright. If that doesn't work move on to step two.Second, once you know with 100% certainty they understand theyhave violated your copyright, yet refuse to respond or stop,you need to shut them down by eliminating their ability to dobusiness!Send them an email with a carbon copy sent to their InternetService Provider (ISP), their credit card processor, their webhosting company, and even the company that sold them theirdomain name.Finally, follow this email up with a hard copy letter to eachparty sent via registered mail.
In the email and letter detailexactly how they have blatantly violated your copyright andyou want them to desist immediately.By taking this approach you can often just bypass theoffending party because the companies enabling them totransact business don't want any trouble. If you can showcopyright violation they will shut the perpetrator down toavoid getting sued themselves.Though not foolproof, this strategy can help you when facingdown a blatant online copyright violator.
Just remember to actquickly, thoroughly and don't hesitate to contact yourattorney for advice.Author's Note: By no means let this article dampen yourenthusiasm for operating your business or selling your ebookonline! In my opinion there is no better way to make a living!Your copyright is basically as safe online as it is offline.However, if a sneak thief entered your home - you'd call thecops. Well, now you know what to do if a sneak thief evergives you trouble online!You can also get more information about copyright law bygoing to http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/ Article Tags: Online Copyright Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .