UPDATE WITH A TWIST

So, as you can see that first blog mentioned in my last post has been locked, and all offending material will need to be removed for it to be public again. End of story, right?

Wrong.

Turns out the author has a collection of blogs dedicated to appropriating content from other sources.

Here's another one: kathvills

This one appears to be dedicated to me. Which is nice. You can read the original posts here, here, and here [the URL's for the copied posts, in case they get locked as well or you just like seeing them listed out, are here, here, and here]. And for now you can see just how good they are at cut and paste blogging.

I can only view this as intentional, but am baffled as to what gain they achieve by doing it. A lawsuit? The attention only the wrath of a close knit community can give? How many other blogs have they got going - one for each of us?

Somebody knows who this person is. I am publicly asking that person to contact me to tell me who it is, and explain why they are doing this. I am also publicly asking that the author of kathvills and/or kathrnvills [or any other alias they have seen fit to create] see some sense before they are hauled into court, and remove ALL infringing content that has been stolen from ALL people on ALL blogs or websites they have created immediately.

[and as a footnote, Wordpress have acted quickly and I trust a quick response will occur this time as well].

Comments

[Maren]

This is one of the most bizarre things ever. I don't understand how someone cannot have their own voice. They steal anothers life? What can they possibly gain? So weird. How did you find out about being used like that? How do we patrol everyones blogs to make sure our lives are not being abused? This is just so sick. It makes us all wonder if we want to blog at all doesn't it. What is really bizarre is the comments on her "posts", they almost sound like she wrote them herself. Just sick.

[carlene]

She (or he, you never know) isn't worth shutting down anyone's blog. She's just pathetic. Can you tell I'm angry? And you know what else? I think the thief is probably her own commenter. Sad.

[Christina]

Just so you know, your (real) blog is so much better! I don't know what they hope to achieve from this either, very strange. Why would anyone want to steal like this? It is disgusting. I hope you get to the bottom of this. All the best.

[grace]

i just found your blog via another that i follow, and it seems like the same thing is happening to her. the comment made by nigel seemed very intriguing.

http://katiedid.squarespace.com/

so sorry this is happening. disgusting beyond words. maybe you guys can join forces to protect creative freedom in the blogsphere.

[Emma]

Delurking to say I am sorry this is happening to you. I love your blog, the images are especially beautiful.

[kate]

It is THE most deranged thing I have seen in blog land.

So...will the big copycat come forward??

OR will someone who knows who is doing this step up and speak up.

[carolbaby]

This is so amazingly strange, like everyone, I'm utterly perplexed by the motives for this.

My immediate thought was perhaps they were trying to build up a decent amount of (stolen) content and then try and monetise it somehow - with google ads or somesuch.

My second thought was that perhaps it is someone more than a little unhinged.

Possibly it is both.

[jac]

If I'm being charitable, I'm thinking of this as sort of like a scrapbook... taking pieces of things that mean something to her, and modifying so that it becomes her own life. Sort of like fan-fiction.

...IF I'm being charitable. Which I really don't feel like being, right at the moment. Because it's not a private album, it's a very public theft. And it sucks.

[JoannaD]

Also delurking to send you a message of support. This is both bizarre and breathtaking. Hats off to you for standing up to it.

[Monika Aebischer]

Al, you are the one and only you! Having had artwork copied from me verbatim many years ago, I can't even imagine how invaded you must feel about this invasion. I can only think that a person who goes to this extent has some severe personality disorder and hopefully is getting treatment. This is mental illness. I think it goes beyond the "normal" appropriation of somebody else's brilliant work and visuals (and brilliant I have always felt you are... ), especially when they claim your children as theirs.

In my case, there was a women who copied some handmade cards that I used to make. I went into a gallery far away from my home and when I saw them I spoke to the gallery owner about it and insultingly, his comment was : "oh, well, every body steals from everyone, I'm sure you copied it from somebody else." I was too flabbergasted to even have an answer. Sure, my cards had been inspired by something I saw somewhere, but I then developed it into my own style. My friend and studio-mate that was with me at the time said though, that no matter that somebody copies it exactly, it will never have the soul of the maker.

This is also what I can see with your blog and "that" other one. It is not pulled together, it is a total mismatch with the background and the feeling that your space provides. Your blog is you, the other one can never be you.

But at the same time, I am in full agreement that the person should be held accountable. The yarnharlot here in Toronto had some problems some time ago with aggressive, excessive and unwarranted comments. She was then able to track the commenters IP address and hence know the actual person behind it. I'm sure that if you press ahead with legal action, wordpress would have to release that information to a lawyer.

Good Luck, I'm thinking of you!

[lucykate crafts...]

it is a bizarre thing they are doing. i'm sure similar happened to c jane, here, http://blog.cjanerun.com/2009/04/copy-cats-out-of-bag.html

hope it gets resolved soon.

[CreatureofHabit]

Creepy and bizarre.

Here is her chached myspace page:

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:1c5145ve7UkJ:www.myspace.com/kathvills+kathvills&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Everything is locked now..... so go to the cached pages.

[CreatureofHabit]

More cached info.

Perhaps he name is Kathrn Lukenovich?

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:TIsNAxGrQzUJ:www.flixster.com/user/kathvills+kathvills&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[Tracy]

Awful. And outrageous. And completely bizarre and creepy. It is great that you are taking action. Good luck.

[sooz]

*Sigh* Hope you track her down Al. Absolutely speechless in the face of it all.

[simple things]

that is so weird and creepy.

I can't imagine how awful it must feel to have someone doing this to you, but I hope our support and comments help you.

[mamie]

it is terrible and weird but i have two friends that have experienced this in the last year. one, my friend mj, had her whole blog ripped and placed on a turkish server, translated and used verbatim. the other had someone steal her stories of her dead child and post them as her own story. shudder. it is violating and infuriating and sad in so many ways.

i am sorry and i hope action is taken and that this stops.

[Jacqui]

Man, it's so bizarre when things like this happen. I've come across it before when it's happened to other blogs I follow and in the end it always seems to turn out to be a fairly severely disturbed person with no real identity of their own. I mean, any person in touch with reality would realise that while you might get mileage with it for a short time eventually you'll get busted and rightly so. It seems so weird and freaky to us but no doubt feels awful and creepy and horrible to you. Hope you get some sort of closure from it all, even if just to know who the person is!

[Zoe]

I'm just lost for words.

[kirsten]

completely and incredibly disturbing and distressing, al.
so very, very sorry this is happenning to you...
hugs and support.
xx

[Jacqui Dodds]

I have just googled the name: Kathrn Lukenovich which Creature of Habit has commented on above. Google shows 'her' as an unsafe site and if you click on it there are computer threats/viruses attached to the site.
I also followed the above comment by Grace above to http://katiedid.squarespace.com/ and looked at the comment by Nigel and the link that he gives to the reasons why people are setting up fake profiles. The link is here:

http://www.pc1news.com/news/0325/fake-profiles-on-fakebook-facebook.html

So it could be that embedded into these fake sites are malicious viruses that can harm your computer.

[Jenny]

how peculiar. seems like more trouble to do this (and more risky) thank just to write about their own life.

well, it's good you've found them. I'll keep reading the original *ie you!

[Julie]

Bizarre is a good word for what is happening. Why would anyone do this? It beggars belief.

[Rachel]

How odd.

Is it for advertising revenue?

Why, would anyone...?