Stolen story?

[Seanathon]

Has anyone heard of lifestyle2all.com?

I stumbled across my story Beyond the Forest there, or - to be more precise - a fragment of the story.

It appears as if only the first page was posted there on Dec. 24/2017. And the even stranger part is the website actually does credit the story to me and includes a hyperlink leading to my story page on Literotica.

https://lifestyle2all.com/q/beyond-the-forest_20415

 

[lovecraft68]

That's some type of bot who steals stories, but literally only the first page and its being posted word for word including author name and even the copyright symbol if people use it.

I never care about them, my name's on it and its only a fragment. Just be careful going there. Most of those sites tend to be infested with malware and they're fly by nights who last a bout a month if that

 

[RejectReality]

I wouldn't worry too much about that site. Not familiar with it, but if it's only displaying the first page, and links to the official version, it's essentially an advertisement for your story.

There are far worse offenders out there.

 

[yukonnights]

That's some type of bot who steals stories, but literally only the first page and its being posted word for word including author name and even the copyright symbol if people use it.

I never care about them, my name's on it and its only a fragment. Just be careful going there. Most of those sites tend to be infested with malware and they're fly by nights who last a bout a month if that

Ditto that in bold ! I didn't follow the link, but I did enter it into DuckDuckGo and it brought up a very, very weird selection of pages on the site. I peeked at one and it was 100% gibberish. I backed out at that point. For what it's worth, I have begun to add a note at the beginning of every story to the effect of; ".... submitted solely to Literotica.com for publication." I'm hoping it will at least be an advertisement for the original source, etc.

As has been said many times; once it's on the web, it's out's my control. It's kind of a pisser, but since it's not for money I just enjoy writing and having a place to post them.

 

[jaF0]

And the even stranger part is the website actually does credit the story to me and includes a hyperlink leading to my story page on Literotica.

So, then it's not 'stolen'. It's excerpted, attributed and linked back to the source.

 

[Bramblethorn]

So, then it's not 'stolen'. It's excerpted, attributed and linked back to the source.

Attribution and linking are better than not, but it's still copyright violation, if done without the author's permission.

 

[jaF0]

^^ I'm not sure it is. The TOS on this site permits inclusion of news and magazine articles as long as they're limited (excerpted), attributed and linked. Seems reciprocal to me.

Those are posted on their original sites for commercial purposes. Stories here are usually posted by hobbyists.

 

[yukonnights]

^^ I'm not sure it is. The TOS on this site permits inclusion of news and magazine articles as long as they're limited (excerpted), attributed and linked. Seems reciprocal to me.

Those are posted on their original sites for commercial purposes. Stories here are usually posted by hobbyists.

I don't know copyright laws well enough to comment on that...but, so long as they leave the author and Lit info it seems okay to me. And if they include a link to the original, it seems pretty honorable. However, my one major concern is that the link they offer may be only a disguise for malware. I can't think of another plausible reason they would do it in the first place

 

[Bramblethorn]

^^ I'm not sure it is. The TOS on this site permits inclusion of news and magazine articles as long as they're limited (excerpted), attributed and linked. Seems reciprocal to me.

Those are posted on their original sites for commercial purposes. Stories here are usually posted by hobbyists.

Where are you seeing that? The most relevant thing I can find is this:

http://www.literotica.com/support/forum_rules.shtml

"3. Do not upload copyrighted images or post articles in their entirety. Fair use laws allow some posting of copyrighted material, such as excerpts from articles and screen captures from movies, under certain circumstances. Please do a Google search under "Fair Use" if you want to understand this issue better. Also, out of respect for other users, please limit your excerpts to less than 5 paragraphs."

Nothing there about attribution or linking, and it's not a blanket "this is okay", merely "under some circumstances fair use permits it, go educate yourself about the law".

Fair use laws take the character and purpose of use into account. Excerpting a news article for discussion is a very different matter from excerpting somebody's story to attract viewers and infect them with malware.

Even if Literotica was encouraging users to breach other people's copyrights, - which it definitely isn't - that wouldn't create any reciprocal right for others to breach copyrights of material posted here.

 

[Hypoxia]

Once anything is posted online, it's gone, totally out of your control. Pursuing copyright claims is useless unless LOTS of money is at stake, and likely not even then. We have many "stolen stories" threads here and they all boil down to: send a take-down request or accept the inevitable.

 

[yukonnights]

Once anything is posted online, it's gone, totally out of your control. Pursuing copyright claims is useless unless LOTS of money is at stake, and likely not even then. We have many "stolen stories" threads here and they all boil down to: send a take-down request or accept the inevitable.

Hypoxia, this just is no longer true! I have been arraigning a charter flight to Hong Kong where I have tracked the malevolent scoundrel to his lair. As of this writing, the travel agent is awaiting the payment for the flight (round trip). Thus, the game's up on that nefarious Mr Web, ha! Now, if we can all agree on an equal contribution towards the small cost involved, I do believe we can put a stop to it once and for all. To facilitate this, all I need are names, social security numbers and a credit card from all here who are joining in this important crusade. I'll keep the travel agent occupied until we get it all sorted....It's a bright day for honor and truth (and all that other stuff)

 

[NotWise]

Hypoxia, this just is no longer true!

So now I envision yukonnigts confronting 'Mr. Web' in his opulent game room. Yukon has a big wrench in hand--it isn't the sort of tool that one plays games with--and backs the Mister against the pool table.

Yukon growls, "I speak for all of Lit. We want--no, we demand--all of your ill-gotten gains from our copyrighted materials. Every cent!"

Mr. Web searches his safe, and gives Yukon a statement of unpaid bills.

"Satisfied now?" Mr. Web asks.

"Yeah, no." Yukon says, and stuffs the wrench up Mr. Web's butt.

 

[Valint]

^^ I'm not sure it is. The TOS on this site permits inclusion of news and magazine articles as long as they're limited (excerpted), attributed and linked. Seems reciprocal to me.

Those are posted on their original sites for commercial purposes. Stories here are usually posted by hobbyists.

No. Going after someone in a case like this is usually not practical--you have to track down the owners, and they're probably not in the U.S. and don't have U.S. assets, and you'll probably end up spending more dealing with them than you'll get back.

On a legal level, however, it's simple: This is copyright infringement. If they tried to claim fair use for this, they would lose. If the author hasn't registered the copyright, they could see whoever copied this for whatever money they lost or the infringer gained because of the infringement (probably zilch and nada). If the author has registered the copyright in the work (either before the infringement or within three months of publication), they can get statutory damages of $750 and up, plus (most of the time, if you succeed and they don't have a really good defense) all of their costs and attorney's fees to sue.

... but back on the practical level, the infringers are probably broke and/or you're going to have to invest a good deal of money to get to the point of getting a judgment enforced against them, so it's not a quick (or guaranteed) money-maker.

But don't be confused into thinking that this kind of copying is somehow allowed. The reasons why people who do this sort of thing don't end up with their site down and them bankrupt isn't because it's okay, it's simply because of how much a pain in the ass (and wallet) it would be to go after them.

If you ever have a story that you care enough about that you'd worry about someone copying and publishing it outside your control, give serious consideration to registering your copyright. It's all of a $35 filing fee if you decide to do it on your own, and gives you a pretty big club to swing around if someone does copy it.

 

[yukonnights]

So now I envision yukonnigts confronting 'Mr. Web' in his opulent game room. Yukon has a big wrench in hand--it isn't the sort of tool that one plays games with--and backs the Mister against the pool table.

Yukon growls, "I speak for all of Lit. We want--no, we demand--all of your ill-gotten gains from our copyrighted materials. Every cent!"

Mr. Web searches his safe, and gives Yukon a statement of unpaid bills.

"Satisfied now?" Mr. Web asks.

"Yeah, no." Yukon says, and stuffs the wrench up Mr. Web's butt.

Alas, the donations/contributions did not flow in as I had hoped. Even a caped crusader on a worthy adventure can only do so much when he is all alone (I like the idea of the wrench though...but it seems a little...ummm, erotic for such a serious adventure )

(ETA: The way my contest story nosed dived over night, I might contact Mr Web myself and suggest he steal it without any trace left )