Protecting HTML

**Jan** · 10-08-2003, 08:03 AM

I've had a large chunk of my site site, the learning section, copied and claimed as their own by Chess Castle (tutorial section) and it looks as if I am going to have to get legal help to get them removed as he has just ignored my emails. I can't really afford to do this and it is distressing that my pages (which took years to develop) can be just copied and pasted in a matter of minutes.

Anyway, I am looking for a way to protect the pages on my site and came across

HTML protector

and

ionCube

Does anyone know anything about them and is this an effective way to protect HTML? If not, is there anything I can do to make sure this doesn't happen in the future? Would making it a Flash site help to protect it? I would like to hear any of your thoughts on this subject. It would be sad if I had to take my site down as it has been up since 1997 but I'm not prepared for it to be stolen like this.

Thank you very much.

Jan

**mattsiegman** · 10-08-2003, 01:30 PM

If you don't want it stolen, don't post it on the web.

That being said, you can always send your stuff to have it oficially copyrighted to the US Copyright office. You also must make sure you put a copyright on all your pages.

Everything you create is technically cop[yright you, but without an official copyright from the US copyright office, its a lot harder to defend.

**mattsiegman** · 10-08-2003, 01:34 PM

Also, you may be able to contact Yahoo! Abuse and get the site shut down; however, their response time may be a bit slow. Check out Yahoo!'s TOS and see if the person is in breach, inform him of that and give him a day or two to respond, then contact Yahoo! about it. [It is hideous anyway, they'd be doing the world a service]

**Jan** · 10-08-2003, 01:56 PM

Thank you Matt. I was wondering more if it is possible to protect HTML so it doesn't happen in future.

**mattsiegman** · 10-08-2003, 03:10 PM

No, they can still copy and paste the text.

Just be sure to put a disclaimer on your site that people who steal your work will be prosecuted. As long as it's there, it should suffice to throw off at least a couple of script kiddies.

**Jan** · 10-08-2003, 03:28 PM

OK, thank you for your help Matt.

**mike7727** · 10-08-2003, 05:39 PM

I wonder if using server side includes and cgi-driven code would make it hard for someone to steal the pages? I suppose they could just browse the results , save the pages and relink it all anyway.

**jason** · 10-08-2003, 08:10 PM

Originally posted by mike7727
I wonder if using server side includes and cgi-driven code would make it hard for someone to steal the pages? I suppose they could just browse the results , save the pages and relink it all anyway.

No, it wouldn't. Any server side processing you do is just to generate HTML code to send to the client. When you use SSIs or CGIs you can still do a view source and grab everything just as if it was plain html.

Jan,

It looks to me like that site is being run by a kid who probably doesn't understand that what he's done is wrong (mouse over the icon at the bottom of the page and listen to the soundbite that plays if you have any doubts). I'm not exactly sure of how you'd go about doing it, but if you can figure out his address, a sternly written letter to his parents will probably get things taken care of real quick.

--Jason

**lookout** · 10-08-2003, 09:36 PM

Jan, I'm not seeing the duplication you mention now (a link to the offending page would be handy), but maybe I missed it. Or possibly something was changed there since you started this thread? Seems that your site is at least mentioned in the offending site's links page.

Definitely a kid running the site. Even mentions the help of his dad in the ChessAni section.

**Vin DSL** · 10-09-2003, 02:43 AM

Look at the positive side - you might win him a scholarship.

http://www.bcssa.org/newsroom/scholarships.html

That's why Foo Man He is ignoring you and pretending he made the web site himself. Do you get it now? If he takes the content off, or gives you credit, he loses the scholarship competition. He might be dumb, but he ain't stupid

Maybe you should contact the BCSSA and let them know about their little prodigy. They seem to be honorbound - probably Old World Chinamen holding fast to traditional values in their new homes in the Soviet Republic of Canuckistan ...

Members of the BCSSA shall:

Aspire to provide the best possible educational experiences and opportunity for students, recognizing that the needs of the students are their primary consideration.

Exemplify the highest standards of personal integrity in their relations with students, parents, teachers, colleagues, board members and the public.

Show respect to colleagues and not knowingly, by work or deed, undermine a colleague or cause him/her to suffer professional disrespect.

Develop and sustain a professional climate that promotes the effectiveness and the creative capabilities of all personnel.

Respect the public trust represented by their position and not permit considerations of private gain nor personal interests to effect the discharge of professional obligations.

Accept the responsibility to be learned and contribute to a growing body of specialized knowledge and skills in educational leadership.

Conduct oneself in a manner that brings credit and honour to the profession and to the association.

Contact info: http://www.bcssa.org/contacts/contactsfront.html

At the bare minimum, I would tell them that they will be held culpable in any future lawsuit[s] unless they take that link off their web site immediately. I think that will get Mr. He's attention...

BTW, He appears to be in 7th grade:

http://www.k-12chess.com/k-12chess20...in20030419.php

You might what to contact these ppl too, if you want to be a real pain in the ass:

http://www.k-12chess.com/k-12chess2003/contactus.php

Wanna see who you're dealing with? If you'll pardon the pun, here's He's picture:

http://www.thenownewspaper.com/042203/community.html

Hey, contact the newspaper too.

http://www.thenownewspaper.com/042203/contactus.html

Shall I keep going, or is that enough for right now? You don't want to destroy the kid, do you? After all:

Pinewood elementary school principal Linda Beatty describes Jimmy as an engaging young fellow with an analytical mind and a strong sense of social justice.

"He's a brilliant young man. He has huge potential. Jimmy sees things from an intellectual perspective," she says.

... or do you want her contact information too?

**Jan** · 10-09-2003, 04:11 AM

Thank you Mike, Jason, Lookout and Vin. I tried to make a post a few hours ago but when I clicked submit my internet connection went down and I lost my post.

Basically I was going to mention that he had won a scholarship and a laptop with my content and that it seemed he was grade 6, 7 or 8 (He is actually 13) and that as he has stolen a large section of my chess tutorial it was difficult to provide exact links. Also, I have found 3 sites of his. On two of them he has my content and on the third he is dealing in warez or something (sorry this culture is alien to me and I'm a bit too old for the Nintendo scene so I don't really understand it) but what he says shows he knows what he is doing.

I didn't care if Nintendo and those other big corps were after me. All I wanted was to steal from the rich and give to the poor. And learn how to make a website in the process. I guess that my website is just big enough to be popular, while just small enough to be unnoticed by the game-producing companies. And I like it this way. Any bigger and I might have no site at all.

I'm caught somewhere in between thinking this is a cute little kid who doesn't know what he is doing and the idea that this is an evil hacker/virus spreading monster in the making!!

Also he has finally replied to my emails and has even posted in my forums. He says when he tries to delete the pages he has server problems and wants me to go into his account to delete them for him. I'm not very keen on doing this.

Anyway, thank you to all of you for your replies and Vin, you really went out of your way to find information. Thank you very much.

Jan

**Vin DSL** · 10-09-2003, 04:16 AM

I'd burn the little SOB, but that's just me. I guess I make a better friend than I do an enemy, huh?

**mattsiegman** · 10-09-2003, 03:15 PM

Well, it seems that the kid is smart, just, not briefed on the law. I'm gonna give him a little leeway

He does need to take 'his' tutorial down though

**Vin DSL** · 10-09-2003, 11:18 PM

**lookout** · 10-10-2003, 06:48 AM

Unbelievable. Well, maybe not with past history.

No, I didn't turn that post in, but I'd expect someone would. Glad to see you recognized some self-moderation was in order.

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