What to Do if You're a Victim of Online Plagiarism, Whether Forgery or Flattery

If you're the victim of online plagiarism, you've joined a prestigious club. Skilled content providers who can string together a meaty sentence filled with popular keywords, or craft a controversial headline will eventually fall victim to the unscrupulous, lazy and untalented.

Help, Someone Stole My Precious Content

Dear writer, color yourself angry.You have a right to be mad. A few months ago, I was a victim of online plagiarism. After 5 minutes of fuming, I quickly came to a huge revelation. Very few people steal trash. The best thieves in the world only steal treasure. Floored, flabbergasted and flattered, I counted my stolen 488-word article as buried internet treasure.

Turn the frown of forgery upside down.

In the midst of the Picassos and Monets of the online writing world, a well-written article is literary treasure. For writers new to the online world your words, thoughts and ideas can be lifted from the internet faster than the speed of sound. If you are a recent victim, welcome to the internet writing hall of fame.

No respectable working writer will stay in flattery mode longer than 5 seconds.

Here are a few guidelines to fight online plagiarism and protect your precious intellectual property.

First determine if the theft was intentional. Did the webmaster forget to add your byline? Did the content provider paraphrase your well-written paragraphs without attributing credit to the rightful owner? Before you fire off a hasty email to scold the offender, take a deep breath and think about the best approach to settle this major issue.

Use Google alerts, Copyscape and other internet methods to search for your content and byline.

Post with reputable online content distribution companies. Associated Content, Suite 101 and Constant Content, have strict copyright infringement policies for their content providers.