Do Scrapers Steal Your Content Too?
Editor’s note: Upon requests by MR. Elliott Back and out of a strong sense of propriety, we have edited this post to remove the strong accusations of scraping against Mr. Back. While the automatic RSS-pulling WordPress plugin was a creation of Mr. Back, the scraper sites are, in fact, not his own, but are run by unscrupulous individuals using what is considered an abuse of the aforementioned software. Phrases in brackets are edited.
While checking my moderated comments and Akismet section today, I noticed that [certain scraper sites are] using my content and earning money on [t]his site with Google Ad Sense. I think that’s called theft.
What gets me is on his own site footer in huge letters, it reads “Don’t steal”.
Another funny thing is he’s even copying my legal disclaimer which reads “If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.”
Be sure to check his various blogs as he might be stealing from you too.
This is not the first time [content scrapers have] done this to me… but I am not going to just sit and watch anymore.
If this guy is doing the same to you, I’d like to hear about it. This crap needs to stop.
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Comments / What do you think?
February 19th, 2007
Mr. Back doesn’t own that website, he just created the content-scraper that that site uses. Not that I think that it makes it any better.
That’s why it always looks like all of the content-scraper sites belong to him. He was dumb enough to want credit for what he created.
February 19th, 2007
Report him to http://www.splogreporter.com
February 19th, 2007
Yeah, I think that name has came up couple of times.. along with other feed scrapers *sigh*
Though I take comfort in thinking that my blog ranks higher than any of the scraped posts. So if you must link out to them, could you throw in a rel=”nofollow” ? ;)
February 19th, 2007
@lisa: I think Mr. Back needs to rethink what he codes for people or at least not put his name to it like you mention… because people like me will think he has something to do with it.
This has happened before with his name connected to it… and when I contacted him in the past, I didn’t get any reply. That’s just adding fuel to the fire I think.
February 19th, 2007
@Doug: Thanks for the link.
I reported all 15 links/posts of mine to date that this has happened with.
February 19th, 2007
Hey Tony, thanks for the reminder about the no follow. I added that to the links for him.
February 19th, 2007
not a problem :)
@Lisa – on the other hand that software has generated 800,000+ backlinks for Mr. Back, placing his own site at a comfortable PageRank 7. Go figure…
February 20th, 2007
“Be sure to check his various blogs as he might be stealing from you too.”
My first thought was that he’s got to have better blogs than mine to steal from, else he’s one sad bastard.
Not that he isn’t one anyway, but that would just be horrible…
February 20th, 2007
I checked the link of the posted article and I’m not sure I get it?
the link to your site is intact, Sean
February 20th, 2007
Hey Luke, Be glad your blog and journal is safe from scrappers. What isn’t interesting to you could be to others and this guy is using other people’s content to generate money with ads.
February 20th, 2007
@Karen: If you check the link in my post that says “his site” you’ll see he copied one of my posts, including the RSS copyright disclaimer, without my permission.
Yes he has a link to me but this method of taking someone’s content without permission is called scrapping or splogging.
It’s done so he or others can use other blogger content to earn money with ads.
Do you get it now why this is wrong and considered theft?
February 20th, 2007
oh, okay…I think.
but let’s say I used a feed plugin on my site to have feeds from other sites on my blog, like yours, should I get permission from the site owners?
I thought that’s what this guy is doing
February 20th, 2007
People need to ask for permission to display my feeds on their sites which is the reason I have the copyright notice in my feeds to see when people are doing it without permission.
Yes, I personally think you should ask permission to use someone’s content, even if you’re using a feed plugin.
It’s perfectly fine to read someone’s content with a feed reader but what this guy is doing to me is very wrong, using other people’s content, without permission and making money from it.
February 20th, 2007
ok, thanks for that clarification, Sean.
that totally makes sense now. ;)
February 20th, 2007
Sure Karen, any time. You know me, glad to help :)
February 20th, 2007
I left my comment on his blog.
February 24th, 2007
Man I just checked my akismet and what do you know, he has mine too! This stuff really gets my goat!
February 28th, 2007
The scraped page you referenced in your link above is missing (404).
When someone scrapes your pages, you can also file DMCA reports with Google, and they might pull the copied pages and sites.
It can take some time, but might be worth it if you’re feeling vindictive.
February 28th, 2007
One of my recent posts must have struck some right keywords, as I saw just about 20 different Elliott scrapers pick up the same excerpt in the next hour. Interestingly enough, most of those pages have disappeared by the next day.
Btw, SplogReporter referenced in a above comment is calling quits – any new, feasible, suggestions (Google’s DMCA requires paperwork and legal stuff)
October 8th, 2009
great post, just keep on writing. don’t worry about someone else comment… :).thanks and good luck.