At latest count at http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-blogs/, more than 2,000 genealogy blogs are now online. Yet, some people are too lazy to write their own articles. Instead, they steal from others. The derogatory term for these low-life characters is "splogger," a contraction of "spam blogger."
Sploggers typically copy articles from other blogs and post them on their own web sites, often surrounded by Google Ads or other commission-based advertisements. Sploggers hope that the unwary reader will be attracted by the articles and then, while on the site, will click on the ad. The splogger then earns a commission from the ads.
One such splogger is now creating an uproar in the genealogy blogging community. I won't even mention his name or web site, as I don't want to elevate his ratings in Google. However, you can read an interesting article about the legal issues of splogging written by James Tanner at http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2011/10/splogging-clear-violation-of-copyright.html
NOTE: James Tanner IS an attorney and is intimately familiar with the laws being violated. In addition, the splogger currently stealing articles has stolen at least one article from Tanner. I'd say that's not very bright. I have a suggestion for all sploggers: don't violate copyright laws by stealing from an attorney's blog!
I will also offer a comment about articles published in my own newsletter:
I have what I believe is the most liberal copyright claim of anyone who publishes genealogy newsletters or blogs. I actually ENCOURAGE you and everyone else to take articles from the Standard Edition newsletter and publish them elsewhere. You don't even need to ask my permission. As the Nike ad states, "Just do it." You can publish my articles in blogs or in printed newsletters for your society or most anyplace else you wish with the following restrictions:
- This applies only to Standard Edition (free) newsletter articles, not to those published as Plus Edition articles.
- You must attribute the source of the article, including the URL of http://www.eogn.com.
- You may only use the articles without asking for noncommercial purposes. If your blog has Google Adwords or other advertisements, you do not qualify as non-commercial. It makes no difference if you make any money with your blog or not. Legally, if you carry ads, your are ATTEMPTING to derive revenue and therefore your blog is commercial. Ask any lawyer.
- If you want to use my articles on a commercial web site, including any web site that contains advertising, just ask. I usually say "yes" but I do want to know where and how each article will be used. However, if you run a splog, the answer will be "no."
Details of my copyright statement may be found at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/copyrights-and-other-lega.html
