Here is the latest update to the RootsFeed issue:

1.  RootsFeed now has a contact form which you can use to contact them and ask that your content be removed.

2.  In a recent comment to the initial post, a member of GeneaBloggers states she received a response from RootsFeed (we assume by using the Contact Form) in which they stated:

Your posts were removed from the site this past Saturday. Rootsfeed did not violate your copyright. At no time did we publish in its entirety any article from your website, nor did we ever take attribution for any article. We posted an excerpt from the article with a link back to your site, which is completely legal.

RootsFeed

3.  I would disagree with the RootsFeed statement on several levels:

- they have not addressed the fact that they are using a “posted by” link at the bottom of each post which makes it seem as if the blogger posted or contributed the post at the RootsFeed site.

- excerpt or not, it is still your blog post and you can dictate what can and cannot be done with the content whether it is three lines or 15 lines.

- while they do link back to the original post eventually, they only do so after a click which takes you to another RootsFeed page so you can be bombarded by their advertising.  This is not the same as a link back to your content – the link should be on the post title and on the initial click.

4.  I recommend that GeneaBloggers members “beef up” their copyright statement to clarify how content can and cannot be used and when permission is required.  I’ve added the following language here at GeneaBloggers in the sidebar:

You may NOT use the contents of this site for commercial purposes without explicit permission from the author and blog owner. Commercial purposes includes blogs with ads and income generating features, and/or blogs or sites using feed content as a replacement for original content.  Full content usage is not permitted.

Thanks to Lorelle VanFossen for the inspiration of the above language used in the post Goodbye to Splogs and Feed-Driven Blogs at the Blog Herald.

* * *

Remember that it is sad fact of blogging that you must be vigilant as to how your content is being used.  Thanks to all those who gave me a heads up to RootsFeed during this past week.  As a community of bloggers we need to communicate to those who would profit from our work that you can’t just take without asking.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Well it just seems that sploggers don’t understand.  We’ve got a new one on the horizon called RootsFeed and I urge all members of GeneaBloggers to look at the site and see if their content has been misused and their copyright violated.

RootsFeed is posting blog content in violation of copyright by a) not properly linking back to the original post and in some cases b) disregarding the Creative Commons licensing provisions.

What also irks me more is that they give the appearance that certain bloggers are “contributors” or “columnists” when in fact they are not.  I’ve verified this fact with at least one well-known genealogy blogger who said she has had no involvement with RootsFeed and did not give permission for them to use her content.

There is no contact information for the owners of RootsFeed and the About page currently lists the generic WordPress information.

What Can You Do?

Since we have little recourse due to the lack of contact information and the WHOIS registry for RootsFeed.com lists a “privacy protection” service, here is what you can do:

• Contact the hosting company – VerveHosting – for the RootsFeed site. Send your email to abuse@vervehosting.com with a cease and desist notice and ask tell them that your original content is being used and your copyright violated.  Ask them to either force RootsFeed to remove your content or to shut down the site.

• File a DMCA complaint with the advertisers used by RootsFeed and hit them where it hurts – in the pocketbook:

• • Click here to file a DMCA complaint online with Google AdSense.
  • Email a DMCA with Commission Junction / ValueClick at copyright@ValueClick.com.  Reference http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3938158-10660720 which is the affiliate link for RootsFeed.

Conclusion

All readers of GeneaBloggers know – as do our members – that it isn’t playing fair when you have to steal content from others who have worked so hard to document their genealogy journey.

Don’t forget our resource page on Blog Copyright and Content Theft!

GeneaBloggers will always fight the good fight against opportunists like RootsFeed who want to ride the current wave of popularity surrounding family history and only take from our community without giving back.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Heads up to all genealogy bloggers – there is a new splog (spam blog) that is stealing content from many of us including this site and my personal blog, Destination: Austin Family.

The site is called Easy-Genealogy.com and it is posting blog content in violation of copyright by a) not properly linking back to the original post and in some cases b) disregarding the Creative Commons licensing provisions.

The owner of Easy-Genealogy has also blacklisted certain sites from leaving comments – most likely the sites from whom they’ve stolen content.

What Can You Do?

• Go to the About page and leave an email with a cease and desist notice asking them to remove your content.

• File a DMCA complaint with Google to have their website blocked from search results on Google.

• Using WHOIS, I’ve identified the nameserver as Websitewelcome.com.  You can email them at abuse@websitewelcome.com and file a complaint.  Please include links to your original blog posts and describe how your copyright is being violated.

Update – Content Removed

On Wednesday, 17 March 2010, I received an email from Dean Brenner who runs the Easy-Genealogy.com site – this was in response to a message I sent via the About page:

—–Original Message—–
From: Dean Brenner [mailto:dbrenner@bwsgroup.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 12:28 AM
To: ‘Thomas MacEntee’
Subject: RE: Contact: Copyright Violations

I searched our Easy Genealogy blog posts for MacEntee, GeneaBloggers and Austin Family and removed all that were found. If you should find any that we missed, please let us know. Please accept our apology for any violation of your work. We do not intentionally do that. We do post some using automated software and it’s not a perfect system. But we will do our best to make the necessary adjustments to “do the right thing”.

Again, please accept our apology.

Dean Brenner
Support
BWS Group

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Conclusion

As the topic of genealogy gains more exposure in the media through various television shows here in the United States, be prepared for similar instances of content theft.  While I am happy to know that Easy-Genealogy.com did the “right thing” as far as my own content, I expect that being vigilant and vocal are the keys to winning the battle of the splogs.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee