Stolen Stories on AskJolene

[Boxlicker101]

I recently complained to AskJolene about stories of mine that appeared on their site without my permission. This is the response I got from them:

Re: Stolen Stories‏
From: Toine (toine@askjolene.com)
Sent: Mon 7/28/08 10:04 AM
To: boxlicker101 (clitsucker101@hotmail.com)
Cc: info@askjolene.com; support@askjolene.com

Hello, My name is Toine and I work for AskJolene Customer Support. We are not sure that you are the formal copyright owner. There is no proof in this email that you own the copyrights. We have strict rules regarding copyright infringement publishedat:http://www.askjolene.com/about/company/terms.php under the paragraph"copyright infringement". However, we will remove the stories and the account you mentionedpermanent because we have some doubts regarding this account. This action will be taken in the next 48 hours. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me. Kind regards,AskJolene.com Toine >>

Anybody who has stories should be able to contact the same person and make the same complaint. Be sure to include a link to your story here and on that site.

Some of the stories on their site link back here. That's okay, and actually get it more exposure. However, if they have actually been plagiarized or pirated, you can complain to them.

 

[sr71plt]

Well, unfortunately, they're right. If you didn't file for copyright and have a piece of paper saying it's yours, this is the response (or worse) that you'll get. Do you hold a formal copyright document? If so, there's your answer.

If you don't want your work to be floated all over the Internet, don't put it on the Internet. The Internet is a largely uncontrollable Wild West show.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Well, unfortunately, they're right. If you didn't file for copyright and have a piece of paper saying it's yours, this is the response (or worse) that you'll get. Do you hold a formal copyright document? If so, there's your answer.

If you don't want your work to be floated all over the Internet, don't put it on the Internet. The Internet is a largely uncontrollable Wild West show.

Not true. It is copywrited the moment it is posted on Literotica.

 

[sr71plt]

Not true. It is copywrited the moment it is posted on Literotica.

Well, yes, but in the United States you can't enter court without a formal copyright registration. God, we go over this SO much. Go read in on the U.S. Copyright Office page.

The Congress passed the legislation conforming to the Berne Convention on this--and then didn't pass any legislation that put any teeth in it. According to current U.S. copyright law, you can't get a court date without a formal copyright registration on the work. Go check it out yourself. This is part of my business.

 

[Guest]

Box, at least you finally got through to someone and it looks like something is going to happen. Finally.

They have many of my stories too but they all link back to Lit.

 

[cantdog]

There's a peck of "Dr_mabeuse" stories, as well. I didn't see any links back anywhere on the two I looked at.

 

[Elianna]

Well, yes, but in the United States you can't enter court without a formal copyright registration. God, we go over this SO much. Go read in on the U.S. Copyright Office page.

The Congress passed the legislation conforming to the Berne Convention on this--and then didn't pass any legislation that put any teeth in it. According to current U.S. copyright law, you can't get a court date without a formal copyright registration on the work. Go check it out yourself. This is part of my business.

You know, SR, I think this is your proverbial hill to die upon.

 

[Guest]

There's a peck of "Dr_mabeuse" stories, as well. I didn't see any links back anywhere on the two I looked at.

Damn.

 

[sr71plt]

You know, SR, I think this is your proverbial hill to die upon.

Well, not my hill. I understand what will/won't happen with these things, so I can tell wheel spinning from productive activity. Although it certainly is my cross to bear to point out realities writers don't want to hear/believe.

 

[sr71plt]

Food for thought. If anyone else copies off these stories and registers for copyright (in the United States--there is no copyright process in the UK system) and there isn't a previously dated formal copyright on file, they will get it--and then they will own it. Believe it (or try it out and see what happens).

 

[Elianna]

Well, not my hill. I understand what will/won't happen with these things, so I can tell wheel spinning from productive activity. Although it certainly is my cross to bear to point out realities writers don't want to hear/believe.

Yes. And you beg that the cup NOT be taken from you.

You're right, but I've found most sites to be pretty cooperative when I've had my stuff stolen. I ONLY post on Lit, so that makes it pretty easy to track posting by dates. They don't HAVE to remove my stuff, they just do because the evidence leads them to believe that they have a false, unauthorized copy. Probably nothing I could really do legally, but it's nice to know courtesy is still around in most places.

 

[Dirty Kitten]

Hmm...

Out of curiosity, I went to check some of mine too and they have at least a couple there. The weird thing is that the titles don't match the stories. I mean, they list me as having written them, but "Seven Months" comes up with the actual story and then as Part II or Part III of "Kitten's Submission".

LOL... I'm not sure what to complain about first!

 

[sr71plt]

The best action I've seen on these problem Web sites is to go to the hosting organization for the Web site (with multiple complaners, if possible), if you can find out which one it is. They often just tell the Web site to clean up its act or they'll shut them down, because they don't like to have people on their cases. Absolute Write lost its Web host once (and was off the net for a brief while) because it was badmouthing an agent, who went straight to the site host.

 

[Dirty Kitten]

Okay... disregard my previous post cause I'm no longer laughing. They have ALL of my stories over there, none of which link back here. To make matters worse, they are all posted with my pen name (DK) but there are SEVERAL other stories under my name that are NOT mine.

*groan*

Thanks for the email address BoxLicker. I have a long night of linking to do, I guess

I've looked up the titles of some of the other stories here (on Lit) and have come up empty. If they happen to be yours, I apologize. Please rest assured I did not post them there.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Okay... disregard my previous post cause I'm no longer laughing. They have ALL of my stories over there, none of which link back here. To make matters worse, they are all posted with my pen name (DK) but there are SEVERAL other stories under my name that are NOT mine.

*groan*

Thanks for the email address BoxLicker. I have a long night of linking to do, I guess

I've looked up the titles of some of the other stories here (on Lit) and have come up empty. If they happen to be yours, I apologize. Please rest assured I did not post them there.

The best way to check for piracy is to choose a fairly unique sentence, or part of a sentence, and google it, inclosed in quotes.

"Norman just knew that his mother's apple pie would taste bitter" It's not a phrase that would come up too often be coincidence.

srplt, your contentions about copyright may be absolutely correct. Regardless, there is a pretty well-established internet convention of respect, and, you will notice, askjolene DID agree to remove the stories.

 

[sr71plt]

srplt, your contentions about copyright may be absolutely correct. Regardless, there is a pretty well-established internet convention of respect, and, you will notice, askjolene DID agree to remove the stories.

Yes, and have you not noticed that this is about the thirty-fourth round on Ask Jolene's piracy that we've had on this forum in just this year? The Chinese water torture in action.

Come back and talk to me when someone posts that they've checked Ask Jolene and found no stories stolen from here. Until then, you are spinning wheels--and they are engaging in the Chinese water torture.

 

[Dirty Kitten]

The best way to check for piracy is to choose a fairly unique sentence, or part of a sentence, and google it, inclosed in quotes.

"Norman just knew that his mother's apple pie would taste bitter" It's not a phrase that would come up too often be coincidence.

Thanks

I'll try that in the morning and see what I can find on those other stories. For now, I've sent off an email. A strange one, considering that whomever posted the stories there actually used my pen name, "Yes, I wrote those stories, but I didn't write them HERE"

Also, I'll look into the copyright thing. (Hmm... a tank of gas or a copyright?! What will I do!?!?)

Or, I'll just have to become a very OCD person that is constantly typing in phrases from stories to see if they turn up! Fifty years from now I'll be laying in a ditch somewhere mumbling about Captain Jack, Piracy, and licking Tracy.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Yes, and have you not noticed that this is about the thirty-fourth round on Ask Jolene's piracy that we've had on this forum in just this year? The Chinese water torture in action.

Come back and talk to me when someone posts that they've checked Ask Jolene and found no stories stolen from here. Until then, you are spinning wheels--and they are engaging in the Chinese water torture.

It's just the way things go, srplt.
As long as sites allow members to post directly to the public view-- and that is, after all, what these sites are there for-- there will always be some special snowflake who comes up with the never-before-thought-of idea to pirate other people's work.

hell, it happens here on lit every once in a while, too.

Checking for plagiarists is just part of the set of regular chores that an internet denizen has to perform -- like washing dishes. Of course, the plates get dirty again. Expecting human behavior to stop once and for all is like dripping Chinese water on your own self.

 

[michchick98]

Yes, and have you not noticed that this is about the thirty-fourth round on Ask Jolene's piracy that we've had on this forum in just this year? The Chinese water torture in action.

Come back and talk to me when someone posts that they've checked Ask Jolene and found no stories stolen from here. Until then, you are spinning wheels--and they are engaging in the Chinese water torture.

I'd bet you'd be singing a different tune if it were one of your stories there, or even one of the stories you've posted to excessica.

You tell people to get their work copyrighted, yet it's not that easy for most of us. I have copies of all my work backed up on disc and tucked away in a drawer. It has my username as well as my real name on it along with original posting dates on Literotica and StoriesOnline. But that's the best I can do.

If it ever came down to someone stealing my work, I'd have proof beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was my work. My editor also has copies of my stories as well.

 

[Edward Teach]

My stories are on there as well, but they're all linked back to Lit.

More readers for Lit, more readers for me.

 

[emap]

I so feel like an outsider, but I don't get it, why do you care if someone swipes one of your stories you are not making money on and posts it someplace that they won't make money for it either?

I suppose it's one of those stopping before somebody starts selling it type idea, but so long as they don't make money I don't care if anybody takes my stories. I'd prefer if they improved them first but well I know most of the people who do swipe stories couldn't anyway.

You know come to think of it, if anybody ever gets bored or has lots of free time, could you search for my stories and see if anybody posted them elsewhere? I wouldn't mind going and posting a comment with a link to here so the whole four people who like it can see the rest of my stories.

 

[Tarakin]

They have four of my five stories on their side, but all link to Lit, so I have no problem with it. The first time another side has done that.

I just wonder why they didn't copy the fifth story also...

 

[Elianna]

They have four of my five stories on their side, but all link to Lit, so I have no problem with it. The first time another side has done that.

I just wonder why they didn't copy the fifth story also...

They probably just missed it.

Duhhhh.... never mind....

 

[sr71plt]

I'd bet you'd be singing a different tune if it were one of your stories there, or even one of the stories you've posted to excessica.

You tell people to get their work copyrighted, yet it's not that easy for most of us. I have copies of all my work backed up on disc and tucked away in a drawer. It has my username as well as my real name on it along with original posting dates on Literotica and StoriesOnline. But that's the best I can do.

If it ever came down to someone stealing my work, I'd have proof beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was my work. My editor also has copies of my stories as well.

Excuse me? They do have stories of mine--mostly mangled and bits and pieces of parts of series. I just assumed that would happen before I posted them here. And thus far I haven't seen it as an impediment to posting them where I want to post them myself or even selling any of them--multiple times.

I'm not telling anyone to take out formal copyright for their stories (although you could, like, bundle all of your 2007 stories into one document and apply for all of them for one application fee). Even if you hold formal copyright, there would be little or nothing you could do to keep them off the Internet. Cite me a U.S. case--just one--where anyone ever in the United States has even gotten to court on the theft of a nonprofit (or little profit) porn story on the Internet let alone won anything and then kept all other Internet sources from reposting the story. You are cantering in Neverneverland in thinking you'd ever get this done yourself. In which case, why hyperventilate and rattle empty rockets over it?

What I've said is that you are pissing in the wind on keeping anything you post on the Internet from being reproduced all across the Internet, so don't post anything on the Internet that you aren't prepared to have that happen to. (As I've also noted before, people repost even material that is fully covered by formal copyright right here on this forum and Lit. lets that happen and I don't see any of you objecting to the rights of other, formally protected, writers being violated left and right right here).

And it's sweet that you and your editor think you have "beyond the shadow of a doubt" proof of your ownership--because, as noted, that ain't getting into a court of law in the United States unless you also hold formal copyright registration. You can certainly try to use it in a bluff, though--if that gives you comfort. And sometimes it works--for that offending Web site at that particular moment. Like Jack in the Box, though, it will all happen again somewhere else on the Internet--and even back at the same offending site again. As noted, Askjolene comes up every two weeks here just like clockwork and you go through all the same false protection and "gonna get 'em" hoops each time it comes up--with diddly squat results.

Around and around we go on this merry-go-round. You all persist in wanting to be blind to the realities of "protection" for anything you post to the Internet. And you puff up and get so indignant over the false powers/"rights" over this you think you have.

Let me know how that works out for ya in the real world.

Just consider it good publicity and save yourself the blood pressure spike.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I'd bet you'd be singing a different tune if it were one of your stories there, or even one of the stories you've posted to excessica.

You tell people to get their work copyrighted, yet it's not that easy for most of us. I have copies of all my work backed up on disc and tucked away in a drawer. It has my username as well as my real name on it along with original posting dates on Literotica and StoriesOnline. But that's the best I can do.

If it ever came down to someone stealing my work, I'd have proof beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was my work. My editor also has copies of my stories as well.

Accdording to Laurel, the stories and poems on Lit. ARE copyrighted. She probably has some shortcut that she can take to get this done, and does it in the names of the individual authors. I do know that in the emails she sent to me about the subject of this thread, she included the comment that she could take legal action against AskJolene. I think that other site knows it too.