if i wrote an article on a website, published with my name first now someone stole it , CAN I DO SOMETHING?

Question

It was on a storytellers website. They put my name on it for awhile and then all of the sudden my name vanished and the owner of the websites appeared as if they wrote it themselves. What can I do?

Answer 1

nothing

Answer 2

You're stuck with the difference between what's right and what's enforceable here. The very act of writing something gives you the copyright in it - you don't *have* to do anything extra in order to have copyright, although it's always worth adding the big C symbol or 'Copyright John Doe,' just in case. So if it seems that the owner of the website is publishing your work as if its theirs, they are in breach of your copyright. (Just check in case there was a clause saying something to the effect that 'after X days all material becomes the property of this website.'). If that is difficult for you to check - you might not have thought to look for it - see whether they've done it to every story on the site, or just yours, or if they do it after X amount of time ...

You should certainly write to them saying that you wish to have your name identified as the author of the story and would they please reinstate it. But it's then difficult to think of what else you could do without resorting to the law, which is always expensive (you don't have legal expenses insurance, do you?). Your decision about what to do should be influenced by considerations such as: are they making money from the site? are they enhancing their prestige as a result of the site? are they associated with any other body such as a university, college, writing course, etc. - because if they are, a firm letter to said body ought to be helpful.

Unless they are making lots of money/prestige (in which case you might find a lawyer prepared to act for a contingency fee) I would do two things in addition to the earlier suggestions: I'd make a note of all the other writers who've appeared on the site and write to them with a warning (copy to the site owners, of course) and I'd try your local media, who might pick it up as a 'little guy messed about by the big guns' story.

Also, I don't know much about search engines, but if you were to write letters to the media with your story, then it's possible that your letter would appear on the same page as their website when anyone was searching for it, and this wouldn't be good for their reputation.


(By the way, for anyone interested: one way of establishing that you really are the originator of a piece of writing etc. is to post a copy to yourself in an envelope that's sealed and dated, and don't open it unless you have to for proof. But emphasise again - you have copyright as soon as you publish, unless you actively renounce it).

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Yes,as long as you have proof that the work is your,like the story on paper dated before you published it.If not take a lesson and always save your work on your computer or Email this will help you if someone tries to steal your work.

Answer 4

Well, you could submit another story about how the owner of a website ,being shallow and finding they have no creativity of their own, blatantly steals someone Else's work.

Answer 5

only you know if this is so..............check..old archives and records

a closer heart...rather than consider this as theft...co-oporate or not......consider viewing it as if someone else held the same idea as yours......and you can appreciate it for that..................if you can't appreciate it...why hold on to what bothers you......resolved or un resolved...........by the way....write some more.........some will read it some will never see it some can't read it in english..............but if you have the ever improving gift to write.......the great ink maker will always keep yr pen full and give you a clean bright sheet of paper

Answer 6

Write to them and ask that the story be removed as it is no longer credited to you. Make sure you have copies before you do this.

Answer 7

How important is it to you? And can you prove it is yours? Check with a lawyer...but it will cost you. You do have a right here and if you have proof it is yours...like written and revised in a notebook or something. then go for it.

Answer 8

call up the website and ask it to be removed.

Answer 9

Unless you have it copyrighted, nothing.

Answer 10

ditto, nada