The next time you are at a website and wanting to copy material/data/content of another person, for whatever reason - scroll down to the bottom of the website page and look for a notice stating it is copyrighted.
Most likely there will be some dates and then a link to their terms and conditions. Take this issue seriously and read that information before you remove content from a website where you are not the author of said material.
Posting that content to gather is earning you something, pennies, but nonetheless there is a profit you are making on someone else's material.
What is the reason behind posting that material here? If it is something you think people cannot live without the knowledge, why not just post the link and state you just read this and that here and state your impression and ask others what they think?
By taking this extra step everyone will gain further insight into the ramificaitons of cutting and pasting whatever you feel like and posting it here or there.
You cannot justify posting content from another person by stating you gave the name of the author or the name of the site. You need to get written permission to do so and then follow their rules on how you can use their materials.
It is really quite simple, so the question is, why do people feel the need to take content from other sites and post it here in a cut and paste job and then claim ignorance?
When you register at a site there are terms and conditions you must abide. Visitors cannot just go all over the internet taking content that does not belong to them and spread it all over the place.
By going to the bottom of the page you are stealing from you can find out what the terms of this usage is and read if it is copyrighted and what fines can be imposed on those who do not follow the agreeements.
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Comments: 25
Also when they cut and paste and mention the site it is really easy to take a sentence into google and find the actual source and post it here for all to see where it was taken from and then give a contact email to check for permission given.
It's easy enough to post the link to the article. Very easy, in fact, then write up your opinions on it - and who knows? Maybe there will be other things where the link is that will be of interest to others.
I have a couple people who I "do" have permission to post, I've asked... and I always include their link. It's not just legal, it's also the right thing to do :)
Marilyn
Go to www.copyscape and add links to your articles to see if anyone is copying them. You might want to add one of their banners to your articles too.
Rose T, the issue isn't the lack of formatting. it;'s the blatant stealing of the work of others that's the issue.
Great tip!!