MUST READ: A guy is stealing from us

June 23rd, 2005 by Tim Grahl

UPDATE: Well that didn’t take long. Our stuff has been pulled from the site so we pulled his contact info. Thanks to all the Blue Collar readers who helped us out.

Here on Blue Collar we are a big fan of not stealing other people’s content. We will copy stuff from different articles but we always make it as clear as possible that it’s not ours by blockquoting and linking back to the original content. Also, we only take a sampling of the article so if you want to read the whole thing you have to go to the original site so they get the traffic off their own stuff.

Well during my web ramblings the other day I ran across a site that is ripping off our content. Not just parts of it. But entire freaking articles and not giving us any credit for it. Here’s a screen shot of our Gary Fisher X-Caliber review that he stole:

You can see just the top of the article in that picture, but the whole thing is at his blog. He stolen a lot of our content without citing the origin. I have both emailed him and gotten him on the phone and requested that he remove the content, and although he told me he would, he has not. So I was thinking maybe the faithful Blue Collar riders would help us out by giving him your two cents on the subject. Here’s his contact info:

5 Responses to “MUST READ: A guy is stealing from us”

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1 RL on Jun 23rd, 2005 at 1:06 pm

Maybes I shoulds pay hims a vesit?
2 Cory on Jun 23rd, 2005 at 1:49 pm

Hey guys, maybe consider using a Creative Commons License on your site if you’re willing to let other people repost your content. The CCL states explicitly that, if people use your content they MUST credit you and your site. Originally, I considered holding a strict reign when it came to content on my site but I decided on the CCL when I thought about the benefits associated with it.

That being said, it’s pretty bush when someone lifts your content without commenting on it, adding something to it, or providing a link to the source. That sort of thing is common practice both in journalism and the media at large. If you have contact info and the plagiarism / theft continues, look at sending the offender a cease and desist letter from a lawyer. It’s a headache, I know, but it’ll get your content off his site in a heartbeat.
3 fixedgear on Jun 23rd, 2005 at 8:30 pm

Ouch, that sucks, hope you get it worked out. I can stick my pump in his spokes if you think that will help? Cory, CCL would be great if everybody played by the rules…but that leaves Blue Collar MTB in the position of having to find somebody to (maybe pro bono?) write a C&D letter to someone who obviously doens’t give a rats ass.
4 Cory on Jun 24th, 2005 at 1:37 pm

I hear you, fixedgear. It’s a headache — no question about it. Anything you guys who are based in the States can do to invoke the wrath of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act? I don’t know if it’s applicable but the MPAA and the recording industry have been milking it.

Maybe write a letter or e-mail to the dude’s hosting provider citing relevant passages and informing them that they’re hosting stolen material?
5 Tim on Nov 4th, 2006 at 12:17 am

Well, you do have a great write up and it makes me want to go buy a 29er. Think of the stolen content as a form of flattery LOL.

MUST READ: A guy is stealing from us

5 Responses to “MUST READ: A guy is stealing from us”

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