How do us little people protect our designs?

GOB

As designers (or wanna be deisgners, lol) what can we do once we find our work has been copied on another site? Big companies can protect themselves but what can us little people do? :hello:

MGDesigns

Contact them via e-mail (being as polite as possible) explain that you are the Copyright Holder and request that they stop using your work within a given time limit, 24-48hrs is usually the standard. Include links to where you work is being used without permission etc

Non-compliance will result in legal action...

I'm sure theres a few sites that have template Cease & Desist letters for download

daboss

to be very honest, i don't think you can do very much.

i know of some sites using my directory script and skins without giving credit by removing the copyright link. life sucks!

MGDesigns

If they ignore your attempts at contacting them daboss, you can contact their host and they will do something about it providing you supply them with evidence that it is your Intellectual Property

pfgannon

Ya contacting their host is your best bet.

stusangelcaz

Some goon actually has had the cheek to rip off a tag I made, change it round and leave my watermark on it. I wouldnt be so bothered but a) I actually wrote a tutorial for that particular tag so if they can rip MY name off, rearrange it and then add 2 new names which are animated, in my opinion they are flaming well clever enough to follow the tutorial and b) if they had asked, I would more than likely have made a blank for them to add what they wanted to it.

Now I have someone using a tag with my tagged by legend on it, that looks disgusting, and people are going to think its me that made it.

I did send them a rather curt message explaining why I was annoyed and upset, especially given this person is supposedly a friend of mine. It makes you really mad it really does.

GOB

Thanks for your answers everyone

MGDesigns

You're very welcome GOB

I hope they've been of some help?

chirag

I agree with pf:D

omoi

if you decide to use watermarking you'll want to put your full url on it 'cause some people will steal your site name, too

trust

good question lol! i wish i new

trust

OMG GOT IT! LOL. I'm stupid. Just tag your grpahics

rebelagent

Contacting the host is your best bet. I automatically remove any design or scripts in question as a host. The law holds me to it.

xPureNLx

Act like a pro, use perfect language and use a nice, professional looking layout when contacting such copy-cats by mail. When you act professional, people like them get scared. Use the word "us" instead of "I" or "me" or use your "company name" (URL or something).

- xPureNLx

John

As others have said, it's best to contact the person that copied your site then if you have no success contact their host, most hosts will ask their customer to remove your design if proof is given that it's yours.

I've had a problem once with some other webhost that decided to copy my entire hosting design and hotlink all the images, at first they didnt remove the design so I acted professionally explaining they could have some legal problems unless they remove the design and a few hours later they got scared and removed it, so acting professional works sometimes :P there's always the ones that think nothing will actually happen though so that's the time you contact their host.

danielneri

Hmm there's some neat information here. I never knew about all this stuff...I guess that's because its never really happened to me seeing how I'm just getting back into things.

I do remember the time that I saw this amazing layout and just had to see how it would look in my site, without ANY intention to make it live (I have utmost respect for designs, I never rip) and the guy contacted me in less than an hour, being very professional and all and let me tel you. He scared the hell outta me, just the way he wrote the message, so I tore it down in a flash

So all this professionilism stuff goes a long way!