I noticed many webnovel original story is posted in some sites without ever crediting the writer. In other words, they straight up steal the content.
How do I make them stop?
How do I stop people from stealing my novel from sites?
Kumar, I don't think we can do much on that, but if it's hurting you financially, you can try to DMCA claim using google, I personally have done nothing about it so far. So I don't have much info.
Short answer: unless you hold the copyright to the works in question, there is nothing you can do. Sending a DCMA to a work that you don’t have the copyright for will invalidate the DCMA.
Even then, it generally is a waste of time trying to play whack-a-mole with the pirates because they outnumber the author and are not too concerned about obeying IP laws anyway.
Putting the shoe on the other foot, there are plenty of stories here that are basically doing the same thing, only to artists instead of authors. Putting up a disclaimer that you don’t own the work/found it on Pinterest or Google/full ownership goes to the artist, does not absolve the author of using an image for a cover without the permission of the one who holds the rights to that work, i.e. the artist.
Oops. I think I misread your post. If you hold the copyright for your novel, you can send the DCMA. Some sites will remove it, others will ignore it. Most authors I’ve hung out with eventually conclude that it’s time better spent working on their next novel.
I’m not sure how this works globally, or what the agreement with with the Webnovel app/website, but in the U.S. an author owns the IP rights to his work the moment they write it down. Of course, from a legal standpoint you have to prove you wrote it first... but there is no form or anything you need to fill out.
True about art as well! If you didn’t draw it, someone owns the rights to that just due to the fact that they drew it.
shadowdrake27 Correct. :) The deciding factor (In the context of Webnovel) would be if the author has accepted a contract or not. If the author has retained their copyright, they can send a take down notice. If not, then even though they created the IP, it would be up to the owner of the copyright to file. An added protection—in the US, and so long as the author retains the copyright—would be to register the work officially. This allows the author to sue for damages if any have occurred. A double-edged sword as legal fees are stupid expensive even if you are 100% in the right.
I’ve had my works pirated, and while it can be disheartening—especially if it’s your first work you’ve put out there—eventually time can deaden the sting. It does get better, and in the meantime, you can work to find an audience who loves your stuff and is more than happy to pay for it. :D
Keikokumars Though you probably can't stop those aggregator sites, you can at least stop if your content ever posted on Amazon and making money off your work. You'd just need good money for a Lawyer though.
I've seen a rich person have a lawyer team and they acted fast, instantly took down the content within a few days.
Anyways, if you have a contract with WN you don't have to worry about it.