To be shocked and hurt by this

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

I didn't know what to put as a title. I do feel shocked. And I think a little hurt.

I have a friend I met a few years ago. We are in the same line of work. We live quite far away from each other. There’s around a couple of hundred miles between us, but we stay in touch regularly. 
Anyway, we were chatting this week about work, and I decided to have a quick look on her website. 
I was shocked to see that she has copied and pasted everything from my website onto her own. It’s all the same - word for word. 
I don’t think at all this will have a negative impact on my business. But I just feel so shocked by this. I’m not sure if I also feel quite hurt? Or foolish? I couldn’t quite believe it at first. 

I really don’t know what to do. Part of me wants to do nothing and pretend that I haven’t seen it, but I also would prefer for her to remove it. However, I don’t want to risk hurting her or embarrassing her, or jeopardising our friendship.  
What would you do? 

[Tilltheend99]

This sort of thing happens a lot and it’s definitely not acceptable.

My DH is a graphic designer and a while after he started at a new job the previous guy (he knew them a little as still went to staff get togethers for a while) got some interesting new position.

DH looked on his website out of curiosity to find that the guy had taken a lot of DHs recent work and put it in his portfolio as his own.

DH went straight to his boss and complained. His boss contacted the ex employee and told him to remove it. (As the work was ultimately for that company)

Don’t know how you can get it sorted if you are working for yourself. It’s really bad of your ‘friend’ to do that. Presumably an IT expert could prove it was written on your site first if it came down to it but I’m guessing you don’t have the time or energy to take it that far.

Tell her you saw it, you are disappointed, and to take it down and do her own work.

[SoupDragon]

I wouldn't go softly about this. I'd contact a solicitor who works with internet companies and companies that have an internet presence and who deals with copyright laws.

As a first move??

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@mrsbitaly

Is there a way to say you will be happy to help her make her website great without duplicating yours?

I have offered to do this. I have asked if she would like any help with her website to help increase business but she told me that she no longer has a website. But I know this isn't true as I've seen it and it's still there.

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

Also to answer a few people. This is my own website so no one else created it or can contact her about duplication as it was set up by me.

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

Is your website made by a professional company? If so, you really might be able to distance yourself by asking them to contact her.

Yes, very good suggestion.

Another angle, if you care about maintaining the friendship, and suffering thieves gladly, would be to go in all guns blazing and making your position abundantly clear BUT angrily blame it on 'whichever webmaster/copywriter she employed who, instead of creating the original content from a brief that s/he was paid to do, has simply found your site, ripped off the entire thing wholesale, and then claimed it as his/her own work for financial gain - the CF, you're going to instigate legal proceedings against 'them' if 'they' don't take it down immediately'.

That way, she gets the full brunt and is left in no doubt whatsoever about what she needs to do, but the imaginary scapegoat angle (assuming that isn't what actually happened - it's not beyond possibility) would avoid any awkwardness at all. If she doesn't act quick sharpish and get it all taken down, she's wilfully burnt all friendship bridges and I'd then redirect your anger - and legal action - back on to her directly.

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@Divebar2021

I think you’re under reacting massively and without wishing to seem harsh you also don’t seem to be very business focused. You can’t allow individuals to steal content and then not address it because you’re worried about embarrassing them.

I do have a really successful business. Which she's commented on several times and that hers struggles from time to time. So I think she's taken my information hoping it will improve her business.

[DrManhattan]

Can't you say one of your customers or clients saw her website and thought it was yours. Tell her you have had a look and you are a bit confused.
As previously stated she's not your friend, sounds like she is using you.

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@Ponoka7

How did you become friends? I'd be wondering if at the time she was looking for people who could help her in her business but dressed it up as wanting friendships. She isn't a genuine person.

We became friends through a work related training course several years ago and have stayed in touch regularly since.

[Thatsnotall]

If it were me, and she has stated she has no website now, I'd be messaging her to 'alert to the fact someone is impersonating her using my website content,' - let her know you'd be happy to help her in tracking down the impersonator and assist in any way you can.

[Orgasmagorical]

However, I don’t want to risk hurting her or embarrassing her, or jeopardising our friendship.
What would you do?

I'd re-think who was the one risking jeopardising the friendship. You're worried about hurting her? Who is the one in the wrong here, OP?

[MarieIVanArkleStinks]

This is intellectual theft. If someone lifted my work like this - and it has happened twice and caused me considerable embarrassment when I had to raise it with their organization - it could effectively destroy my professional reputation.

Would you feel the same if she stole your handbag? This is tantamount to the same thing.

I would be royally pissed off.

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@Lotusmonster

I had this a few years back. But I was the perceived ‘guilty’ party. The devils In the detail 100%….make sure your eyes are not selectively seeing the similarities rather than the clear differences in your websites OP.
In my case, I used the same web developer as my rival. The content, layout and all the imagery was different. But because we’d used the same developer I’d say the ‘feel’ was similar even though the sites were materially different. You need to be definite and specific on this. My rival had felt that they ought to have exclusive use of the developer! They did not.
The rival failed in her attempts to bring my site down.

It's content I've uploaded myself. My writing and words. And hers is now identical. Absolutely 100% identical. It's literally been copied and pasted.

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@NewlyGranny

I think the key question is; is the friendship older than your business and its website?

If it is, I'd go after her gently through anonymous channels.

If not, go in all find blazing: she's not a friend at all, she's an economic spy and a plagiarist. Copyright everything, watermark your images and check her site daily!

We've been friends for around 5 or 6 years and my business is around 12 years old.

[mytortoiseisill]

I am the copyright solicitor who writes the nasty letters.....

Loving the “what would a Businessman do” comment.

I find “what would you do if you weren’t afraid?” helps people in your position too.

Pay for 2 hours’ work from a proper ip solicitor outside London - that’s all that’s needed for you to have clear advice as to whether she has infringed or merely plagiarised.

Get that advice, then it will be easier to process your emotions, which are normal (for women and men but men hide them under anger,etc)

[Sonders]

As others have said, duplicated content will be negatively impacting your SEO and increasing your web search competition. Your website will be less likely to rank highly in search results, and less likely to rank for as many terms as are relevant.

And as others have said, the copyright to the content you created automatically belongs to you, so they are breaking the law too. You can file a DMCA takedown notice directly with the website host - this could be quite easy if they use something like Wix/Squarespace/Shopify.

First I would to a bit of a recce though on their other marketing channels. I had this happen to my business once (by a stranger though) and not only had they copied & pasted my website and a few blogs, but they'd taken by Instagram, Pinterest & Facebook content too.

The last thing you want to do is get the website sorted, and then find even more copied content and start the process again.

Sorry this is happening to you.

[FreshFreesias]

She has stolen from you OP. I’d ask her but I do t think this friendship is salvageable.

[whitehorsesdonotlie]

She's plagiarised your site and used your content without your permission. I'd be raging. Send her a formal letter threatening legal action and telling her to take her website down immediately. There's no way she doesn't know she's done wrong.

She is no friend.

[NearLifeExperience]

She's not your friend; she's someone who's latched onto you to improve her business.
You must address this!

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@Hopeisallineed

I would be asking her to take it down or amend it in some way as, but only if you are 100% sure she has directly taken it from yours.

It's 100% mine. The words I have written. It's identical. I am 100% sure it's been copied and pasted without a shadow if a doubt.

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@starrynight87

No, it's wrong. You also don't want people finding hers first and thinking you copied her!

That's also what I was worried about!

[SquirrelsAndNuts]

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll
It wasn't made by a professional company as such. It is my webpage so I've had no outsider help from any other professionals.

[Bywayofanupdate]

Could you say something like "I've noticed some of your content is the same as mine, I'm flattered that you like it. I don't mind you using some of my ideas however, it will have a detrimental affect on SEO for both of us so can you change up the wording. Perhaps we could have a brainstorming session and come up with done ideas for each other'

[Summersnake]

A successful business woman ,will have no problems sorting this out with a solicitor
She is not your friend
Instruct a solicitor to have her take it down.
You don’t need to contact her again ,let a solicitor do it
She’s not likely to contact you after that anyway

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

She's basically stolen intellectual properly from you and posted it as her own.

It's astounding how many people genuinely believe the internet is just something that landed there organically and is thus public property, to be copied and pasted at will.

I've heard a few people say that, if they find something that's publicly available via Google Images and then use it, it's Google's problem if there's any comeback from it. Maybe some of them think that Google actually own all of the content I often think that Google believe this too rather than just finding and leading you to it.

I'm fully prepared to be corrected, but I believe that, technically, if I posted something (entirely my own 'content') on a MN talk forum, MN would then own that content - and I could theoretically be in breach of MN's copyright if I then copy and paste my own content elsewhere online.

Considering how litigious a certain fast food chain can be if people with a common Scottish surname name their own tiny local (even completely non-food-related) business after themselves; and a certain perfume brand once doggedly pursued a small hair salon called 'No 5' (unimaginatively named because of the street number of their premises) - content theft is a serious matter and can be very damaging to your business and brand if left unchallenged.

If your two businesses are ever 'linked' in people's minds in any way, you're completely at their mercy and will be judged by their worst failings and probably have them given your credit for your positive qualities.

[Itsnotallaboutyoubaby]

Ask her to change it. That’s not on