Taking content from one or several attorney websites and posting it on another without the owner’s consent is considered an unlawful act. In case you already have a website and would like to keep the content within it safe from those who like to reap where they didn’t sow, you should know your rights. Even so, familiarizing yourself with those rights is only the beginning. The following are some easy steps that can help you protect your content.

Get Ownership of the Content
Before anything else, you must get ownership of the content as it is the only way you can prove that it’s yours. If you aren’t the creator of the content, it’s important that you acquire the copyrights by having a written agreement transferring the ownership. Any written materials, photographs or design work that has been done by someone else should be transferred to you through a written agreement.

Register Your Attorney Website’s Copyright
Safeguarding content on attorney websites doesn’t end at acquiring the copyrights. You should go ahead and register your attorney website’s copyright with the relevant office. Since you will need to add new content to your website from time to time, you should be aware of the fact that new content is not usually automatically added to the copyright registration. Therefore, it’s imperative that you keep the registration up to date by filing a new registration every time new materials are added to the website.

Use “Anti-copying” Software
If the content on your attorney websites is highly valuable, it would be wise if you acquired software that detects copying and prevents other people from copying it. With this software, you will be in a position to identify other websites that contain content that’s considerably comparable to yours.

Make Use of the DCMA
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) was effected in 1988 to help tackle pervasive replication of online works. The act provides a process that involves removing unauthorized content from the internet. In case content on your attorney websites has been copied, you can have a DCMA notice sent to the ISP who serves as the host of your site. Your internet service provider will respond to the DCMA notice by controlling the site operator’s access to the internet.
File a Lawsuit

At times, fraudulent website operators transfer content to a new internet service provider rather than permit the ISP to control their access to the internet. If you are caught up in such a scenario, you should have a DCMA notice sent to the new ISP and keep repeating the process until the site operator gives up the habit. If you are tired of this cat and mouse game, you can file a lawsuit against the person who deliberately copied your content.

Even though protecting content on attorney websites requires diligence, there are technological tools as well as laws that can make it manageable. It’s best to familiarize yourself with the preventive measures available, and seek help from an attorney that is familiar with both internet laws and intellectual property laws.