For Every Creator Whose Work Has Been Stolen — I’m Sorry

Posted on by Ilze

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how easily the internet lets thieves hide behind links and shadows. I recently experienced it myself (see “When Someone Links to Your Blog Without Permission”), and the feeling is sharp and painful.

But I realized: I’m not alone. Many of you have had your writing, your photography, your labor taken, copied, republished, or “borrowed” without permission. Maybe you found a bit of your text on a site you didn’t recognize. Maybe your image showed up somewhere far from your control. Maybe someone reposted — whole or in part — and never asked you.

I want to say this clearly: I’m sorry.

Well, the root problem is — I can’t do anything about it. There’s no option to comment on that post to say please take it down, no contact form, and no valid email. I think the fact they shared it is one thing, but the inability to do anything about it is what made me write to WordPress. Their response was that it’s “all good,” since they added a link to my post.

My final decision is simple: I will no longer post entries with family pictures on the front…

Actually, this took away my strike… I blogged every day for the entire year. I didn’t feel inspired after all this.

I’m truly sorry to all who have gone through this.

Ilze

P.S. Since then, six more thefts have happened. I’ve now removed the links from my posts so those sites don’t get clicks from you, my readers. Is there a better way to deal with this?

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19 thoughts on “For Every Creator Whose Work Has Been Stolen — I’m Sorry”

    1. Thank you, Mandy! I don’t blame myself — I just try to keep it real 🙂 If it hurts that much, then I need to protect myself and change how I do things… or at least that’s how I feel.

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  2. I’m so sorry, Ilze. And yes, it’s a horrible feeling. I know well that sick, sinking sensation. I’ve felt it in my gut when I’ve discovered my books have been pirated, offered up for free on various sites, with no compensation. A whole year’s work…

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  3. I’ve delt with this for years and probably most have at some point. There is nothing we can do until WordPress actually allows us to approve a reblog and that isn’t an option now. It shows that it needs approval but it’s not true the reblog is gone. I’ve had so many take my post and republish on their blog as their own and it burns me up but that’s life here at WP. What you can do is turn your reblog button off and that will solve the problem all together. Tell me more about what you talking about when you say your removing links so the sites don’t get clicks.

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  4. Pingback: This week's small pleasures.

  6. I once listened to a Zoom lecture and was astounded to find the speaker had used photographs from my blog to illustrate his talk – with no acknowledgement at all! It is annoying indeed. When I have used a picture from someone else’s blog, I have always sought permission first. That is the right thing to do.

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  8. I know there are people who steal from my site, but I never think about them, I only focus on the connections I make, you guys are the reason blogging exists for me. And I now use AI generated feature images and I have a website where the images that I have for sale are blocked from being poached.

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  9. The more we write, the more we will be stolen, dear Ilze. Lazy, envious people take what they want for self-gain. My book on the rosary was pirated in China back in 2007. If there is any way to steal, thieves find it.

    All I know is that, I thoroughly research, write, and edit my work. I do the best I can to live kindly and honestly each day. I can’t control anyone else.

    Hugs and love to you.

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