As one of the pioneers of the use of the Internet in the structured settlement industry I have encountered, on a number of occasions, other structured settlement industry members who have taking short cuts to get on the web by choosing to copy my copyrighted material despite clear markings of copyright on all of my web based material, whether on the 4structures.com site or any of my web logs.
In some cases it’s a subtle word or two and in other cases it’s a literal "cut and paste" job. Either way it’s, not at all professional and illegal. Some when confronted have told me that because it’s on the web it’s in the public domain. These people are dangerously misinformed and the worst thing is that those taking my copyrighted material have the gall to then claim a copyright themselves,, in my copyrighted material-that they did not author.
If you or your staff, or those that you hire to do your copyrighting don’t possess skill in written expression and any originality, or simply don’t want to take the time to write something of your own, then you should not be on the web.
If you want to use any of my copyrighted material please ask my permission. And if you link to any of my material you must retain my name or, in the case of content on the 4structures.com web site, 4structures.com, LLC as the copyright holder.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act sets forth monetary penalties that can be recovered from violators. Save your money and your reputation and write your own stuff.
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