How Do You Monitor & Deal With Plagiarism Of Your Content?

[dmedirect_sbcglobal.net]

Hi everyone - hope you can help.

I have an e commerce store with lots of products.  I write unique, original  content for all of the products we sell.  I must be doing a good job because I repeatedly find my content being used in blogs, word press sites, and pay per posts which then link back to competitors.  I have the standard free copyscape logo pasted a the bottom of each page - hasn't deterred anyone.

I'm now thinking about using some sort of a cookie based software and installing the code on each page so that when they lift my content and use it, it will send a link back to that page on my site.  I have called numerous plagiarizers in the past and threatened to sue using the "Digital Millennium Copyright Act" phrase in the course of my conversation.  It's tiresome.  It's work.  I am thinking after many years of frustration, that if I can't beat them I might as well try using this type of cookie based script/software approach to at least garner a link out it.  And if the abuser catches it then maybe he'll stop mid stream and think twice about using...I mean copying my content.

Is using  this type of cookie/link back to us script a good or a bad idea?  How do you all prevent your unique, original content from being used?  And finally, if I'm looking at this from a positive link building standpoint (meaning, maybe I'm looking at it from the wrong angle), what is the best practice for garnering a link from this type of ongoing occurrence?

[NebraskaChicagohh]

Hiding links in content using CSS used to be a good way to do just what you want - gain a free in bound link from a scraper. Nowadays, most scrapers will also strip out links so the value is not there (it can still happen).

There are services such as CopyScape that will automate the work of catching plagiarizers. From what you describe, that seems like the best solution. Without an automatic solution you will need to send off the DMCA requests by hand.

Another option would be to block the scrapers at the IP level. This takes some time and skill, but there are turn-key solutions available.

[FrontlineMobility]

Why not just add anchor text to your works so that you are farming links without work?

[Francisco_Meza]

Report it to Google using your Google Webmasters: http://www.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=ts.cs&ts=1114905&hl=en

<a>What Google product does your request relate to? > Websearch</a>

Please specify the nature of your request > I have an issue not mentioned above that is legal in nature

Choose from the following options > I have found content that may violate my copyright

Are you the copyright owner or authorized to act on his/her behalf? > Yes, I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed

Okay, mark this question as answered and give me a thumbs up. Also, since I helped you out, return the favor by answering a question for someone else. Happy times!

[ericpratum]

Check out Tynt, use an auto-linking plugin, or periodically drop manual links within your content. That won't stop people from copying, but it will at least you links from lazy copiers.