If you are an online content creator, or a business/individual that produces content online, then protecting it is one of your primary aims. However, sometimes it can be hard to find exactly how to protect it when the world of the internet is such an open and public place. This article aims to educate and point you in the right direction when it comes to protecting your content.
Set Up Google Alerts
This is a simple and free way to scan the internet for certain words and key phrases. All you need is a free Gmail account and then to sign up and set up the words and phrases you want to see and be alerted by. For example, a lawyer may want to focus on ‘Defense Base Act lawyers who genuinely care’, as this is something that would be of importance to a lawyer. These are particularly good for brands that have unique names for their company or products. Whenever the word pops up in something new, Google Alerts will find it, and alert you and show you the origin of the alert, so you can see who is using your names in their content.
Use a Plagiarism Checker
These are great for protecting yours and other people’s work. Tools like Copyscape and others are great tools that scan your work for plagiarized content, which makes your work better and protects other work from being stolen.
Request Credit from others who have used your work
Sometimes, people taking your work can be a good thing. For example, photographers may publish their photos on their website, and allow third parties to use them and share them. However, one thing that you can do to help ensure that your work is not stolen and then used under someone else’s name is to request credit. This means that companies or people who use your work need to include your name and where the image came from on the picture.
You can also use analytics tools provided by Google and others that can track URLs so you can make sure that they have credited you correctly, ensuring the protection of your work.
File a Formal DMCA
This is a more formal action against anyone who has stolen your online content. The DMCA or the Digitial Millenial Copyright Act is a legal act that helps protect online assets. As you file a complaint, the person who has stolen your work should be crediting your work. If they have not credited your work, then the platform in which hosts their content will have the power of how they will tackle it. Most likely, they will shut down the offending website.
Sign up to Google Search Authorship
One of the main cons of publishing content on the internet is that it is hard not to stop people from stealing your work repeatedly. But, you can take steps to reduce the risk and protect your work. Another free platform to use is Google Search Authorship.
Provide Clear Warnings on your Website
Last but not least, the fastest and easiest thing to do is to put up a copyright warning on your website, setting out all content on there is copyright to you!
