Protecting Internet Copyrights Colorado

The information provided in this article is specifically for authors. However, creators of Internet graphics, software, and other online intellectual or patented products can also utilize many of the tips.

1. Your copyright statement is important. Protect your work by including a copyright notice at the end of every article, short story, poem, etc. that you create.
2. Avoid using the copyright symbol. Instead, opt for (c). Some online sites will experience problems displaying special symbols or foreign language characters.
3. Do not waste a lot of time searching for violators' contact information. Thieves will do their utmost to remain anonymous. Trying to locate an e-mail address or other contact information for someone who has stolen your work is usually difficult. These reprobates are good at hiding their tracks, and they are often from foreign countries.
4. Search for the company that hosts the violator's site. You can do a whois lookup. Print out the information, and then do a whois hunt for the domain servers by scrolling to the bottom of the first results page. For example, if you see something like

   ns1.website.com
   ns2.website.com
   ns3.website.com

   do a whois lookup for website.com and contact website.com as well.

5. Contact the hosting and name server companies via e-mail, fax, telephone, or online contact form. This step may take some detective work, but it is well worth the time if you can get the violator's website shut down. (See the sample document in Step 8.) If you are unable to locate anything specific, try sending an e-mail to addresses like: abuse@domainhostingcompany, info@domainhostingcompany, webmaster@domainhostingcompany, etc....

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Author: Kathy Steinemann