In the evening of April 29, 2009, exactly two hours after I have written and submitted a paid opportunity, I went ahead and started to drop EC’s. It normally is a pleasant activity for me, until I came across an exact replica of my article, the only difference is I was reading my article on someone else’s blog.
I signed up with different blogging affiliates so I can monetize my sites while knowing fully well that there are rules to follow (i.e. posting regulations among others) such as:
- Unique Content. Identical or nearly identical Opportunity-related posts will not qualify for payment and may result in termination of the account.
- Time Shifting. A submitted Opportunity-related post’s date of submission must match the date of creation as reflected in your blog time stamp, date line or archives. A submitted post’s date must also be relative to the time frame of an Opportunity’s life span.
- Holding. Attempting to ‘hold’ a post by submitting to the ‘Take this Opportunity’ screen but failing to provide a written post to the requirements of the Advertiser will result in immediate suspension of account. ( This can also be translated to: resorting to copy another blogger’s completed post with the intention to re-write or edit the copied article at a later time to make it unique).
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I was furious to say the least, and my initial plan of action was to first report the blog URL to Google so that the blog is kicked out of the search engines and blacklisted from all future searches. But kindness prevailed and I held off on doing that which means, that blog URL is still getting indexed, therefore, the owner can still use it for any monetization purposes. Furthermore, it would have been easy for Google to take action because the blog is hosted with Blogger’s free hosting . Contacting the owner of the blog in question to demand removal was never an option for me, because this is a paid content, which also goes to say, I did not plan to publicly expose the identity of the blog until I get the issue resolved with the affiliates. If the article would have been a non-paid article, I would have demanded removal right off the bat. Knowing fully well that we are bounded by rules when we signed up with these paid blogging affiliates, as responsible bloggers, we should abide by the set rules, no ifs, and or buts.
Thus, I did the following:
1. That same night of April 29, 2009, I contacted the paid blogging affiliate and informed them of the misdeed. Attached were screenshots. Then, I wrote this post here.
2. On May 4, 2009 I heard from the paid blogging affiliate informing me that they have begun investigation.
2. On May 5, 2009 I wrote this post here. I wanted to share this experience to the blogging community.
3. On May 14, 2009 I found out that I was not the only victim of the same blogger. I wrote an entry here detailing what I discovered. The two crimes were committed in a span of two days, with the copied content pasted on the blog owner’s two blogs. For more information, please follow this link.
4. On May 18, 2009 I wrote the Plagiarism meme forwarded to me by Juliana. Until now, I still don’t know what exactly prompted the author of this meme to write such.
5. On May 26, 2009 I was informed by the affiliate that they have taken the necessary action but the final word with resolutions came from them on June 2, 2009, exactly 1 month and 2 days after the content was copied.
On May 23, 2009 during our Memorial Day weekend barbecue party, two lawyers in my family were enraged upon hearing about my plight. It’s not so much more about the misdeed itself, but they were more concerned and infuriated about the fact that the transgressor is un-apologetic and unremorseful. Thus, they told me that it can be dealt with legally via the US Copyright Law and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act.
****************************************
I have been getting angry comments from some bloggers who felt they were left in the dark or thought I was just hinting. All they needed to do was ask, but because they did not want to ask me directly for the link of the blog, I have been inundated by them. I want to put a STOP to those angry comments.
Thus, upon consulting my legal advisers, I’m now posting here a screenshot of the blog where my stolen article was pasted/found from April 29, 2009 to May 21, 2009.
In closing, I’m asking the same question: would you have handled this situation differently if you were in my shoes?
Tags: 
I might have handled it differently, because I am not that tactful. I would probably have contacted the blog owner and started a while tirade. And then she would take the post down and I never got to prove that it was there to anyone.
I really think that you really did the right thing by taking screenshots and then contacting the affiliate company about it right away.
Also there is not much point in trying to contact Google for anything. Their system easily recognizes the copy.
Well done! Respect!
[rq=4809,0,blog][/rq]7-day guide to declutter your life: Day 7 – Your life.
surprised and almost speechless here, sis. while reading your post, i can really feel your anger and i guess pain too. if i were in your shoes, i think i’ll do the same thing – report her to the authorities so it won’t happen again. and yes, u definitely deserve her apologies. hope she’ll do it soon. (“,)
[rq=4939,0,blog][/rq]Seeing Is Believing
Hello Juliana.I have read & saw this into Leomars & I can’t believe on what I saw,I’ve known her for a span of two weeks I guess & she’s been really kind & sweet.I understand & I know how you feel,it’s just nanghinayang lang ako & can’t really believe that she can do such a thing like that.And I really feel so sorry for you & for Leomar,I’m sure it’s a hard thing for both of you to make some actions about her,I guess you & Leomar made the right decission.Hoping & praying that this wont happen again.
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Our actions are definitely based on our personality. I do have a wild temper, so most likely, inaway ko diretsahan yung culprit after I would do all the legal acts. LOL!
Sis,
Actually, you acted a little soft on this issue. If I were in your position, YES, I would have done it differently. I am a person who can be real hard to those people who deserves my wrath (what a strong word, hehe). Well, I have my own experience to back this up…
If I was in the same situation, I’ll be reporting her to Google right there and then. I would want her to be blacklisted.
See? As I’ve said, you acted a little soft on this.
Yes, I so agree with you! No excuses for stealing. It sure is a crime and it shouldn’t be tolerated. It could happen to me and to everyone else.
Those nasty comments? Well, I hope they realize you’re the victim here. And whatever move you decide to take, I will be behind you, all the way!
May you enjoy your weekend in grand style!
All the Best,
LAINY
P.S.
Thanks for the prayers and well wishes for my speedy recovery. It meant a whole lot to me…
God bless!
Lainy´s last blog ..Sometimes Plain Common Sense is Uncommon
Baket sila galit? You warned your readers about the culprit and for me that’s good enough. What others [esp those
nagagalit kasi you didn’t name names could have done is to be as vigilant as you. That’s it. You don’t owe anyone anything.
Would have I handled it any differently? No. What you did is the right thing for me. I don’t owe anyone anything so I’d do whatever pleases me.
Like you said: nuff said!
Kamusta ang long weekend? I hope you’re feeling a lot better na so you can spend some time outside…no rain hopefully. Padala mo dito yung ulan kasi yung puno namin kailangan madiligian….hehehe. The little one is having fun watering them though.
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ay nako ewan ko lang pag-ako
…i know wat u feel…pero pag ako yan ai baka maging pacman pa ako 
).
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Hey Sis,
What you did is the most professional way I know of dealing with the entire scene! If I were in your shoes, I would have acted the same way as to contacting the blogging affiliate. But as to publishing the copy-cat’s blog, I would have showed it off then and there after having the screenshot and all other evidences I could keep. I want upfront confrontation (hehe) simply because it’s my way of dealing with this kind of crime. Pero yun nga, saka na if tapos ko nang naipaalam sa blogging affiliate. As for those who got angry at your posts, nah… like your Tuks said, you don’t owe them anything. And you have done nothing wrong per rules and regulations. In fact, you were too considerate enough to hide the blogger’s identity. Pero ngayon, wala ng kawala! He he…
As to PPP’s action, grabe, ang tagal na pala nilang makakapag-resolba ngayon. Before, we (me and my friends) caught several bloggers who were holding opps and one of my friends was bold enough to tell PPP about it and kinabukasan, kinabukasan kaagad, suspended! Ngayon, it took them more than a month? Whoa!
Anyway, I wish you a wonderful time this weekend! (Wala ng kawala ‘to!)
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I also have my own share of angry comments, when i exposed this plagiarist. They are hinting that i am just fabricating everything to attract attention, I doubt that they even read the entire post that was even backed by a screenshot of the copied post. Those comments were uncalled for, but i can live with that. I just did what i thought was right.
Would I have handled it differently? Yes. I should have handled it the way you did.
Leomar´s last blog ..Happy 111th Philippine Independence Day!
I don’t do paid posts, so I’m not 100% sure how that affects your approach. I have had posts stolen, and now I have found that the most effective way for me to handle it has been to contact the blog owner and give them a few days (since so many are in other countries) to remove the post letting them know that I will report them to Googles DMCA if they don’t remove the post by my request date. This seems to do the trick. I only had one that did not remove the post by the deadline, but they did remove it before Google had a chance to complete their investigation (making me think that I may need to allow a little more time before submitting to DMCA). Anyway, that’s my 2 cents on what worked for me. I’m glad you reported them.
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I am in your shoes as we speak, for the third time.
I can point you right now to a blog that has stolen every post I’ve written since the end of February.
This person was using their subscription to my blog to steal each and every post. Every time I write a post, they receive this nice little gift, complete with images in their email. They then post it on their own blog, and even had the nerve to create a special category for my posts.
Having dealt with this before, I know what to do, and am in the process of sending take down notices, dealing wit their web host, informing Google, etc. It’s a pain in the butt and just interrupts the natural flow of what you’re doing out here. It also makes you very mad.
One thing I’ve done is to change the format of my posts delivered by Feedblitz to my subscribers. Now, instead of getting the entire post with pics, they get a summary which sends only a few sentences and no pics. They want to read the post, click on the link to my blog.
This copy blogger will now have to work a lot harder to get my stuff. By then, I will have Google all the way on his ass.
As for you, I think that you were just a bit nice about it at first, but now that you’re getting angrier, the tiger is coming out, and that’s good. Go get her, and make her know the wrong of stealing someone else’s work like that.
Did you know that you can get her banned from Entrecard for doing that? yep. I got a splogger banned for copying just ONE post of mine a few months ago by sending the mods the URLs to show the proof of the plagiarism. You have a lot of weapons here.
Use them all one by one until she gets the message!
Good luck to you on this!
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Jul, you’ve been very considerate of the plagiarist for not reporting what she did to google. That would have been the first thing I would have done if I were in your shoes.
liza´s last blog ..Pure Carb Snacks
dami talagang agree and nagsu support sa u sis. but of course. (“,)
have something for u again…
http://tweetartz.blogspot.com/2009/06/awards-awards.html
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@ Lynn
thanks sis. I’ll be there soon to grab it.
You’re doing what’s right…thanks pala sa visit and sa reply sa yahoomail msg…I do appreciate that…Thank God this is now resolved..The plagiarist really learned her lesson in a hard way…(she ask for it kasi..so sorry for her ba’t naman kc nya ginawa….) ..Hope ur fine now…
Our Adventures Together/
Her and History
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Oo nga ano, the moment I read your reply, I immediately …
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You’re in the right. Ask long as you don’t damage the enemy’s property everything you do is in the right.
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Hi Tuks….
Andito lang kami sa bahay. Di ko feel mag blog for the past few days…unless I have to…hehehe. I’m back to my hobby…weeding….hahaha. It’s been a wee bit cool with no rain so I was able to sit in the middle of the yard to pull out the neverending weeds….
Enjoy the week ahead.
Tuks´s last blog ..You Belong With Me…Little One’s Version
I don’t know what I would have done if I were in your shoes Juls… Siguro mas mahirap for me coz she is nice to me. But I guess I still wouldn’t tolerate the act ad would have talked to her. I hope that now that it’s out in the open, everything will be resolved. take care!
It’s raining here! Kaninang umaga, sumikat pa si Mr. Sun. Ngayon, malakas ang ulan! miserable!
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Juliana, I think you did the right thing by going to the paid blogging affiliate and blogging about it here. Plagiarism is UNACCEPTABLE. I hope the company really clamps down about this. Keep us posted about this issue! I think it affects mor eof us than you realize, eh?
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I can certainly sympathize with you and say that you handled it very well and I applaud you. I had the same thing happen to me with paid posts on my today.com blog for over two months. I had found through copyscape that several different blogs in Russia had scraped all of my daily posts verbatim and reposted on their blogs. Long story short I tried issuing a cease and desist order that they ignored and finally in the end could do nothing. So, I stopped writing on that blog. I did however before I stopped exposed them. These criminals don’t realize that they are no better and in fact worse than your everyday thief. They are stealing your thoughts and words which is disgusting. All I can say is don’t let it stop you from writing.
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I think you’re doing the right thing, altho I told you from the get-go that I would have pounced on her as soon as I discovered the misdeed. You handled it calmly and therefore didn’t do anything irrational. I say
great job! xx
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Hi manang Juliana! I’ve been sharing all about these with Dana and he said, he would have done the same thing you did, because that was the best and the right thing to do. But on my part, if I didn’t consult my husband first, I think I would have done it differently..Report her to Google and other Affiliates right away and have her banned. I agree with what Lainy said, but I also know that having a soft and kind heart, you did what you just have done.
Debbie
Wow.I don’t know. I’m sure I’d be TICKED!! I seem to be hearing more and more about people stealing other people’s work, and it’s disturbing. Is there really any way to find out if people are using your stuff? It sounds very overwhelming to me.
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Kamusta ang Lunes Tuks? Nakapamalengke ka ba? Here it’s uber init….and our AC is acting up…..hay….
Tuks´s last blog ..May We ALL…
Ay sarap naman kasi bakasyon ka pa din from cooking….bat naman di pag isahin yung bakasyon ni F para naman you can go somewhere for a few days…kahit mag drive lang kayo….
Tuks´s last blog ..May We ALL…
her blog is now ‘off’ the air. Ha!
Tuks´s last blog ..May We ALL…
Sis,
I tried to open her blog for updates and this is what I got:
Blog has been removed
Sorry, the blog at ummascorner.blogspot.com has been removed. This address is not available for new blogs.
Dinelete sya ng Google o sya mismo ang nagdelete sa sarili nyang blog? Either way, serves her right…
Ang sama ko talaga, hehe!
Lainy´s last blog ..The Judges Spoke, You Spoke… Now I Speak: To Judge or Not To Judge
I like most of the others think you were very easy on her at first. Now your guard is up and more bloggers are aware of the Copyright Laws. I have changed how to post a lot of things on my site now. And I see many others following suit. I believe you have done a good service for the whole blogger network. I really want to thank you for making me more aware. As For the name release, I would have given it of first at the onset, but I am one who can not stand theft of any kind and truly believe justice is only truly given by the violated person. Our world justice system is too lax. People think they are above the Laws because they are not enforced.
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as your tuks asked, bakit nga ba sila nagalit? because they thought you were just insinuating? or…. baka guilty… lol. baka nangongopya rin tapos hindi sila sure kung sila nga ba yon o hindi. buti na lang hindi mo nahalata mga kinopya ko sa yo! :p
would i have done the same? siguro. really depends on my mood. kung happy ako ng mabisto ko plagiarism, i would have taken the same path as you did. kung bad trip ako that day… naku ewan ko na lang. stay cool.
desperateblogger´s last blog ..Awards Galore
hello hello friend! musta na? sorry just visited u now..busy sa party ni baby Kaiden
may sakit nga ngayon eh wawa nman 
nyways, u just did the right thing as far as i know… i think banned na sya according to the latest update by Mommy J and Lainy…hope she learns her lesson…di na sya bata noh? hehe 
take care friend! hope u have a happy blessed day!
A BLESSED LIFE´s last blog ..Not Really a Happy One
hi Juliana, just read about this post. If I were you, I would have handled it differently, I mean…tactless ako so I might have attacked that said blogger. I wonder bakit naman nagagalit sayo yung ibang tao? They too, are guilty? Kasi even if you post the scenario here and kept the anonymity of that copycat, kung d rin sila nangungopya ng content ng iba, bakit sila magre-react against you? familiar yung two blogs….feeling ko nakapunta na ako dun sa mga blogs nya. Mabisita nga…hehehe.
Anyway, keep on blogging! inggit lang sila sayo kasi nakakapag-sulat ka ng magandang content. Kaya kinokopya nila contents mo.
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Hi, Jul! Thanks for making us aware about this. In some ways, I may handle it at different level, but what you did was also the right thing to do, fight for your rights. Take care.
Hi Juliana! I have been following your blog from dropping by
I would have done exactly the same thing… It’s simply annoying when people just steal without any consideration for the work or efforts from the others. My sister in law actually has a blog where she is doing cakes and her boyfriend the pictures all originals and they have already caught at least 3 times their creations on others blog. But I dont think this will ever stop so have patience and continue fighting
hello it’s me again!
thanks for the visit and for the wonderful comments. appreciate them 
musta na? Kaiden is doing well..bumabalik na appetite nya..mejo tumatakaw na uli 
hope ur havin a happy, blessed day!
ingat friend! 
A BLESSED LIFE´s last blog ..Kaiden And His Gifts
Her other blog is still very much active, contrary to the goodbye post she posted in her blogspot blog.
This is the URL :yeunglei.com
Hi Juliana! Ay pasensya tattaak la nga nakapasyar manen ditoy. Grabe met gayam dagita agtatakaw ti blog posts mo. Kasano ket naglaing ka met gamin nga writer siguro napintasan da diay posts mo, he-he! I really think you did the right thing. No siak siguro ti nakaaramidan na dayta, pinagungtakon a.
Sis,
Pano nangyari yon?
Lainy´s last blog ..Happy Father’s Day!
I couldn’t understand why there are bloggers who steal one’s work. Glad you posted who this blogger is. This is a shame on her/his part now. I dunno if he/she has the face to blog and ec drop more.
Hey Tuks…..oo nga at nag resurrect. Siguro nilagay lang sa private….
How’s your weekend? Maulan pa ba?
Tuks´s last blog ..Imelda Marcos….
@ Concerned blogger
Thanks for dropping by and for the info, and yes I’m aware about it. But you know what, I really have no business and don’t really care what she does for as long as she does not cross my line.
@ Lisa
it’s okay Manang, don’t worry about it. Oo nga, sinabi mo pa. But nalaing man wenno saan ti agsurat, awan ti babain na nga talaga.
@ Lira
yes, indeed. thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lira.
@ Tuks
maulan pa din, walang patawad.
Oo nga, parang nag sprout ulit na mushroom.
How sad. But it happened to me as well. I don’t know why there are some people that is narrow minded and never look back if they hurt somebody. Like for example, I am addicted to EC dropping but it seems that this certain blogger (you can read it in my post) is fuming mad about my drops without leaving comments.
The same thing here. Stealing your post and posted in their blog. What a shame really.
Well, thanks for the time here.
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Hi Juliana, I guess aside from reporting the crime to the affiliates and Google, another thing that I would have done was to name the culprit directly in my post with a snapshot of her site. That way nobody would have been left hanging and guessing. But nevertheless you handled the situation as professional as you could at that time, and I hope she learned her lesson well.
you handled it very nicely sis
if ako di ko alam gagawin ko. you are still kind thinking about her pa nga inspite of what she did.
Hi!
If i were in your shoes, i would have dealt with this matter in a different way. I would have been without reserve from the very start. My tone on an initial post will not be as subdued as yours on “Sleep Deprived ….” I would not be as calm as you have been (even) on the succeeding entries re:this issue.
Now regarding the angry comments that you said you have been receiving, there were three (3) lines which (i noticed) could have triggered them. (1)”I might spill the beans.” (2)”Care to know who?” (3)”If you want the link to the other victim’s blog, i’ll be happy to share it.”
However, i do not believe you have anything to explain to them — then and now. I realize how overwhelming these comments can be but just bear in mind that you did nothing wrong in the first place. Ikaw nga itong biktima eh!
You claimed to be furious yet your fury was never felt on your posts. You were very successful in trying to think objectively and your better judgment (to wait for the resolution) prevailed instead of revealing who this thief is.
Ang totoo eh naging mabait ka pa nga at may konsiderasyon. Kahit ngayon pati yung nagpadala sa’yo ng galit na komento eh parang kinokonsidera mo pa rin ang damdamin sa ginawa mong pagpapaliwanag (That all they needed to do was ask, etc.).
They do not deserve it Juliana. Let them be and write what you want to. This is your lair after all! Stop being upset
Manang, pasensya kan ta tatta ak lang nga ag-comment ditoy post mo… Nagtungtong kami gamen kenni Manang Lisa, ket imbaga na diay tungkol daytoy… Ammom Manang, idi kanayonnak met ket nga agpasyar diay blog ni …. . Saludo ak pay ngarud kanya na ta naglaing… Injak ammo agkopkopya met gayam… Pero Manang ammom, saludo ak kenyam diay inaramid mo…
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@ chelle
wen ngarud, nalaing kunwari ngem mas nalaing nga agkopya.
thanks sa concern.