Enough is Enough: Calling Out Thieves

There's a giant epidemic across the Internet, and I'm not talking about viruses or malware. Rather idea and design thieves run rampant on the Internet hiding behind pseudo names, blatantly copying others designs, images, or creative ideas and attempting to pass them off as their own.

This is a problem that doesn't just affect the web design community, but one that extends towards programmers, entrepreneurs, marketers and beyond. It is quickly becoming common to have ones content stolen, or ideas 'borrowed' so that some sleazebag can make a quick buck.

KopyKats will document and be dedicated to the various cases where web theft has occured, and attempt to raise attention to individual cases of theft so as to give credit to the rightful parties, and to embarass those thieves who would so willingly steal others content, designs, and even ideas.

The excuse of inspiration, as in lightly copying a sites design/idea, is acceptable so long as credit or permission is given. Additionally there's a fine level between what is theft and what is inspiration. A site competing in the same industry as the site they are 'inspired' by can easily become theft if they continuously take inspiration from the same source, and if they fail to give proper citation or credit to the source.

With that said, I welcome all sites - big and small to submit their complaints. Leave a comment with:

• Site Address to Original Site
  
• Site Address to Thief's Site
  
• Description of what is copied
• Proof that it is copied from you
• Who You Are (are you the owner of the original site, or perhaps just a visitor who noticed the striking similarities?)

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