Alright, I'm usually pretty carefree when people take stuff from my site, usually I send them a PM or something to tell them I'd rather they changed it, but usually I only do so if they actually copy-pasted my information. Or if they're so similar they may as well.

But what's with all the people who are "copied" and they post a thread about it, in effect "naming and shaming" them; and if the person who posts it is admired then everyone will instantly hate that person, whether or not they've been kind to everyone else earlier.

Now, if it was a complete copy or something, maybe that'd be ok but I think it should be a last resort. Most people are relatively fair when you go to them and tell them to change it. Unless they're a repeat copier then I don't see the need for ruining their reputation.

What's running through their head? 'No, I'm not going to tell them, I'm going to tell the entire world they took an advertisement idea that's been going round for years or used a code that I didn't even write.'

I'm kinda sick of these people. I know it's not easy to have something taken but handle it like an adult. If they won't respond to just a kind PM then you could try talking to invision support. I look at 80% of copy claims and see that the admin is claiming things that existed long before they did as their own. The worst is when mythological races or even ones from other authors (Tolkien is usually the one who gets it worst) get claimed as the owners own.

Every time I PM the people who have copied me they have removed the content. Not once has an argument issued. But, instead of this the way it usually comes out is a fight between the "copier" (who didn't want their reputation completely ruined) and the "copied" (who wants the content removed.)

I used to make a hugenormous deal out of people copying things from my games, because it frustrated me immeasurably that someone had no problems with taking all of my hard work and presenting it as their own.

A few years later, though, and I really just find it sort of funny and mostly sad and a little bit flattering. When I was advertising my new site last week, one of the link requests was for a site that's basically a carbon copy of my nine-years-running-strong game, down to and including character names, descriptions, and wiki templates/layout. Some of my players and I laughed about it for a little while, because wow... way to take our stuff and make it lame! but I've never said anything to the other site and never intend to. What's the point? They're having their fun and they're not bothering us (I will not, however, be participating in the link exchange, ahaha).

I do think it becomes a different situation when someone copies your work and then proceeds to lie about their superiority. If someone jacked your stuff and is trying to bring the hurt, like chasing away prospective players or attempting to damage your reputation, then I think it should definitely be brought up, BUT it should be brought up calmly and civilly. Flame wars make you feel better, but don't actually solve anything. XD

Put it better then me.

I've had everything from every places description to our leveling system to our rules. Personally, I like to laugh, then send them a "please take it down" PM. My co-admin and I are usually amused by it rather then annoyed. Most of these people are new and don't really know what they're doing. The only way to learn is with help and ruining their reputation so they can never make a site again without it being shunned isn't how to do it.

The first site that ripped mine ripped pretty much everything from two of my sites. Half their plot was taken from my old celebrity RP, verbatim, and then their actual forum had everything copied from min; the forum descriptions, the canon lists, our application, everything -- down to the sidebar graphics (they attempted to, anyway). It was pretty pathetic, and the first time it had ever happened to me (or that I'd caught), so my friends and I pretty much tore them a new one in their cbox. They never took the stuff down, just put some stupid link. A lot of their members left, though. Ha. But yeah, now whenever I see a site that steals from me (which inevitably happens; it's happened with every site I've owned in the past 6 months or so), I PM them and since they're usually members of mine, I ban their IP from all future sites.

I do get mad, though; I put so much effort into my sites trying to make them look unique at least in organization and how I set up things like my canon lists, and whenever someone steals them, it turns into a free-for-all, so my site no longer looks unique. It's quite annoying. : / BUT, I do handle it maturely now... except for a recent time, in which I PMed the admin and she was like "Sorry, I won't do it again, I learned my lesson" but still refused to change the things she'd taken. She stole things from other sites as well, and those admins got on her case in the cbox... so I eventually said something there too, so she'd realize I wasn't going away. She closed later, though. =]

I do know a rather big site that has a "wall of shame" for rippers... And I do understand why they do it, and I think it's fine. They're trying to turn people off from doing it, by threatening them, and hopefully it works. Personally, I have no sympathy whatsoever with rippers, and if all that's being done is having their name 'tainted' on a single forum and their IP banned, then that's what they deserve, and hopefully it'll keep them from doing it again.

I had something like that held over my head; the wall of shame or whatever. Apparently, I'd "ripped" the side bar off one of the IF role plays because it was set up quite similar. To me, it was just easier for me to find everything because that was how I was used to the order being in, as I was at the time a regular on that board.

Though the fact was, while the sidebar was indeed similar in setup, it wasn't exactly the same. And, it made me even more frustrated because I had tried talking it out with the admin of the board and it didn't work; instead I saw my board's name plastered all over their wall of shame and it was such a huge board it had a severe effect on my membership. So much so I had to tear it down and start over. What was further irritating was that everyone at the time had a sidebar and they all. Looked. The same.

*shrug* It wasn't hurting anyone, it wasn't a rip, but from now on, I've learned to just stay away from sidebars. I use the leader boards at the top; nifty things if you don't have a lot of information to shove into it, and sometimes things can also go at the bottom :3

But, my boards have never been too popular so ripping off my boards has never come to my attention if its ever happened. If it has, well; I'm not gonna get upset over it I know that. Its not worth the extra stress on me, because I have enough trying to get my board's wiki together and everything up. But I do sincerely hope they at least don't copy my board word for word. Either way, it probably wouldn't matter much to me just because I'm not like that.

I did however have a girl on one of the boards I had quit steal one of my character's threads off there and claimed it as her own. >_> That is irritating.

I don't have so much of a problem when it's an actual rip, where it's actually the same, but a lot of people think things that aren't theirs are; so they think everything is a "rip", even if it's not.

I don't usually ban people. I've only banned two; someone who deleted everything off my site just after it opened (co-admin) and, well, the other one was over a dispute of interests which is not relevant to this rant.

Inspiration and stealing are different. You should be happy if someone else is inspired by you. Obviously not if they stole, but if they were inspired to create something new.

Edit: Don't be too worried, copies never succeed. Never.

*nods* in fact, I've seen a few sites copy Loth's "The Realm of Arda" claiming it as their own creation. It wasn't complete rip-off, but it was indeed copyright infringement. If I'm not mistaken it was some type of attempt at making the "The Realm of Arda" of Proboards XD

It's the worst when they advert on the site they copied. Happened on a board of mine =] Let's just say when we found out no one else joined the copied board lol.

Just two days ago i found out that a forum stole a template i made for my RPG. When i talked to the admin about it, he just stopped going on his forum, no one has seen him online yet. To make it worse he claims that he found my template on another forum.

I hate having people just take my stuff that i spend time working on then use it as there own. If they asked and gave me some credit it would be ok but just upright taking it gets me angry. (angry)

...seriously, rent, i love you right now! ^.^

actually, i'm kind of dealing with all of that stuff right now. i've got this gang site and this girl on my site used to be on there. she just joined back up and then i find out she's made her own gang site. it's nearly exactly like mine, even down to the plot and how her gangs are divided and how to register for the site.

honestly, i'm very tempted to go off on her about it through AIM [that way no one else knows about it and it stays between us] but i want to be as diplomatic about it all as possible because i really don't like being the mean one.

mostly, though, i don't care about her ripping it off except for the fact that i don't want people to think that it's me doing the ripping. the site wasn't mine, it was given to me, and i've worked hard to keep it going for nearly a year now. it's upsetting that she's done it, yes, more so that i feel like she might have just rejoined my site to take more of my ideas, but i can look past that if only she'd credit me in some way or another.

i just know i need to talk to her and i need to do it soon... any ideas?

That right there pretty much is everything you should tell her; I say copy and paste that. Erm, after changing it a bit so it makes sense of course, but that basically just takes everything you need to say and shoves it into a nutshell. :3 If you don't mind, just tell her that and make sure she knows all you're asking for in return is a bit of credit, if you're both up for it, maybe even "sister site" your boards or something. A friend of mine had an RP on xanga that someone else ripped and they managed to talk it out and changed the ripped version so it was a "continuation" of the other sort of, which isn't bad really, it was a fairly nice settlement of the situation considering that originally the ripper wasn't going to change her version at all. But I dunno what kind of person she is, she might just flip out or something, but if you work it out with her there should be no problem on either side :3

HOMGZ! you're freaking brilliant!

lol, mostly, my biggest worry is that she'd flip out on me and there would be arguments about it all but she was pretty cool about it. she says she understands where i'm coming from and that she'll try to work it out but the majority of my issues with her board are things that would be pretty near impossible for her to change without redoing the entire board.

as for the sister site idea? GENIUS! -clings- thanks so much. even if she can't change too much, making it like that might actually work out!

she says she's going to credit me and my board and that she's going to rework the board but that will be a great help for the issue, too.