They say getting your site ripped off is the greatest honor

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They say getting your site ripped off is the greatest honor

October 2, 2004

I was going through my referrer listings (it’s early in the month, so it’s much easier to catch any referrer spammers). Thankfully, there were very few, now that I’ve blocked referrers with the words “sex”, “porn”, “viagra”, “cialis”, and so on. Anyway, I came across this referrer that had no page views and plenty of hits - an almost sure sign of hotlinking (or it could also be RSS readers, forum threads, which are legitimate).

So I checked out http://cristal.inria.fr/~yakobows/, and almost thought I was viewing the wrong tab (it happens sometimes when you use tab-browsing) and was looking at my own blog. Of course, upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn’t my site but a rip-off of the current site’s design and layout. The CSS is identical, even the favicon.

Screenshot of ripoff of redemption in a blog

I wasn’t pissed - rather, I was flattered (as this entry’s title indicates). But I’m sure I want this Boris to quit using exactly the same design as mine. I kinda like what I have now (because Bart Noppen said he liked my color scheme, and I’m a big fan of Bart’s design skills) and I want the blog to be (somewhat) unique.

Boris, appreciate the honor, but please try to make it less of a rip-off would you? Thanks.

Posted by Chu Yeow at October 2, 2004 SGT |

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| Category: Personal

9 Comments & TrackBacks (Add yours)

The paper doll icon that precedes each comment is an idea conceived by Vanessa Tan.

It’s interesting that Boris’ byline is “or how to make a webpage harder to write than a phd thesis” when it is surely remarkably easy when you steal verbatim someone else’s efforts?

Posted by: Andy Mason on October 2, 2004 2pm

He’s hotlinking your images? Your licence demands attribution and share-alike. He appears to abide by share-alike, if only because he left your CC button on the page. I don’t see any attribution. I suggest you use some mod_rewrite mojo to change the images served to visitors of his site; that would probably stop the hotlinking at least.

Posted by: Rory Parle on October 2, 2004 6pm

And one can’t help but wonder who is writing his thesis . . .

Posted by: SB on October 3, 2004 1am

Geez, talk about shameless. I sure hope you reported that scumbag to his web host and to his university. I also second Rory’s comment about putting mod_rewrite to work if you can, to block - or better yet, replace with something utterly humiliating - the images he’s hotlinking.

Posted by: Bap on October 3, 2004 2am

Just mod_rewrite the goatse image his way and thanks for the compliment. :)

Posted by: Bart N. on October 3, 2004 7am

Thats tragic.. Sure, maybe if he borrowed a few colours or ideas, but noooo.. he just copied the entire layout - and no credit either! Right down to the copyright image too.

I must admit though, you do have a very awesome site..

Posted by: Chris Boulton on October 3, 2004 2pm

The site is gone!!

Posted by: TedFox on October 4, 2004 9pm

I’m guessing this isn’t the first time he’s stolen other people’s work. I would also bet on most of his PhD thesis and any previous thesis being stolen from other people’s work. Hope they check it out thoroughly.

Posted by: Thomas Rutter on October 5, 2004 9am