our site content was copied

[rdealiii]

Text and formatting were copied, not all of it, but enough to be sure that it wasn't coincidence. I know who did it. They sell a similar product on their site.

What's worse, the plagiarist's site appears before ours in our primary search terms on Google and Yahoo.

What the heck do you do in this situation, other than come up with new text?

???

[mcanerin]

Assuming your content was yours and unique in the first place, I would file a DMCA notification (http://www.mcanerin.com/articles/copyright03.htm) with their host, as well as with Google, Yahoo and MSN.

It's not the perfect solution, but it usually works pretty well. Threatening to sue someone usually isn't as effective as having them removed from the search engines and their website deleted. ;)

Ian

[Jenstar]

There is a step by step thread (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=6560) on what to do when your content is stolen. The good thing is that both Google and Yahoo will take action on infringers and remove the listings from the sarch results. But you do need to file a DMCA as mcanerin says.

Text and formatting were copied, not all of it, but enough to be sure that it wasn't coincidence.

Just make sure that there is enough indentical text between the two before you send the DMCA. Just being similar enough that it is obvious you must be the source might not be enough infringement to persue.

Good luck!

[rdealiii]

Thanks for the advice!

[rdealiii]

Nice! Just did a search for our website and theirs using the Wayback Machine at www.archive.org. Took 5 seconds. They are SO nailed!