Blogger SUCKS!

This is despicable.

It is also a good reason for people who have free Blogger/Blogspot sites to leave and find another more ‘ethical’ free set up…like WordPress.com for example.

As most know..GOOGLE owns Blogger.

I am assuming because of their size, they just don’t really give a crap….

What am I blathering on about?

My site has recently been scraped for content by two sites hosted on Blogger.

When this happens with other non-blogger hosted sites, it is fairly simple to contact the hosts and owners of the site and ask them to kindly knock it off. I usually send a copy of what was taken and why this was wrong.

Mostly..this non legal way works fine. This is the first step before you have cease and desist letters drawn up.

It is the simple way for people trying to make cheap monetized sites back off.

Not so for Google/Blogger.

THIS is the nice NON friendly way that Google wants you to handle such ‘accusations.’

“Hello,

It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply
with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the text of which can be found
at the U.S. Copyright Office website: http://lcWeb.loc.gov/copyright/ )
and other applicable intellectual property laws, which may include
removing or disabling access to material claimed to be the subject of
infringing activity.

To file a notice of infringement with us, you must provide a written
communication (by fax or regular mail, not by email) that sets forth the
items specified below. Please note that pursuant to that Act, you may be
liable to the alleged infringer for damages (including costs and
attorneys’ fees) if you materially misrepresent that you own an item when
you in fact do not. Indeed, in a recent case (please see
http://www.onlinepolicy.org/action/legpolicy/opg_v_diebold/ for more
information), a company that sent an infringement notification seeking
removal of online materials that were protected by the fair use doctrine
was ordered to pay such costs and attorneys fees. The company agreed to
pay over $100,000. Accordingly, if you are not sure whether material
available online infringes your copyright, we suggest that you first
contact an attorney.

To expedite our ability to process your request, please use the following
format (including section numbers):

1. Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has
been infringed upon. This must include identification of specific posts,
as opposed to entire sites. Posts must be referenced by either the dates
in which they appear or the permalink of the post. For example,
http://example.blogspot.com/archives/2003_01_21_example_archive.html#2104575.

2. Identify the material that you claim is infringing upon the copyrighted
work listed in item #1 above.

YOU MUST IDENTIFY EACH POST BY PERMALINK OR DATE THAT ALLEGEDLY CONTAINS
INFRINGING MATERIAL. The permalink for a post is usually found by clicking
on the timestamp of the post.

3. Provide information reasonably sufficient to permit Blogger to contact
you (email address is preferred).

4. Include the following statement: “I have a good faith belief that use
of the copyrighted materials described above on the allegedly infringing
web pages is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the
law.”

5. Include the following statement: “I swear, under penalty of perjury,
that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the
copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an
exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.”

6. Sign the paper.

7. Send the written communication to the following address:

Google, Inc.
Attn: Blogger Legal Support, DMCA complaints
1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy
Mountain View, CA 94043

OR Fax to:

(650) 618-2680, Attn: Blogger Legal Support, DMCA complaints

Sincerely,
The Blogger Team”

Basically this says, that ‘we don’t care enough to check the site and your site to see if you are correct or not.’

This says ‘we will make it such a hassle that you will back off and continue to allow your site and copyrighted material to be stolen with no complaint.’

This says ‘we don’t care if the content is illegal when they are monetizing their sites with our very own Google Ads.’

This is another reason to steer clear of Google Ads also… I will be getting rid of the rest of mine ASAP. I can’t say I will miss the WHOPPING $20 odd dollars I have earned over two years.

I can see that as more scrapers and ‘make money online fast’ idiots get wind of how easy it is to set up on Blogger, that the scraping will just get worse.

And yes, I have copyright plugins for my posts. It did not stop this loser.

I know have to figure the same out for my photos.

It would be great if the legitimate Blogger users out there could kick up a fuss about this practice.

It affects everyone.

The affects are widespread. They affect the legitimacy of your site, your content and really…if you are trying to make some money from your site, it affects the quality of ads (especially with Google Ads) that will continue to be drawn to this form of cheap advertising.

And our page rank should not be used as a hostage either over things like this.

Google and Blogger need to be responsible to the LEGITIMATE bloggers out there.

How hard would it be to take a minute to check my content and the ‘accused’ and clearly see the theft.

Really.

June 16, 2008 |

Comments

5 Comments so far

Mrs.4444 June 16, 2008 9:54 pm
This is MADDENING!! How did you find this out? What’s just as bothersome is that you will be hardpressed to find a human being at Blogger to complain to! GRRRRR!!
Quirkee James June 16, 2008 10:06 pm
What a pain in the arse!

I think you should call out the scrapers and send us their email addresses so we can spam the **** out of them by signing them up on porn sites or getting them in touch with online scammers, Viagra sellers, male “enhancement” products, refinance lenders…
Crunchy Carpets, Moms June 16, 2008 10:20 pm
You guys rock!
pete June 17, 2008 5:49 pm
I filed once and got the same response. Talk about discouraging people to pursue the issue further. Maybe if had a team of lawyers working for me, I’d have them do it, but I don’t. It amazes me sometimes how Google can stand by their “don’t be evil” slogan and truly believe it.

I feel your pain if that’s any consolation.
ourcrookedtree, Moms June 19, 2008 10:12 am
I have removed my ads to support you! I don’t get anything from them anyway ☺