Reporting copyright infringement & impersonation to Google - MAJOR FAIL

For all those who wonder what happens when you report the infringement of copyright or impersonation of your website or blog to Google.....

• The good news - Google reviewed my report
• The bad news - Google has not done what it told me it had done

In short:

• Earlier this year I found a blog which had lifted my blog posts wholesale - and then changed some of the words - and decorated the blog with Google Adsense adverts
• I reported it to Google in April - but heard nothing
• I reported it again in September with a LOT more detail. To do a report you file a formal copyright infringement report - providing a lot of detail
• see https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905
• see https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905#ts=1115645 (re infringement via Blogger)
• you wait for a long time 
• My first report was ignored. 
• My second report was filed on 14 September; 
• I received an email from the Google Blogger Support Team today (9th November 2020)
• you get an email saying they agree with you - and the blog is now suspended and will no longer be viewable
• you check the URL of the offending blog - and FIND THE BLOG STILL EXISTS!!
• you email the Google Blogger Support Team saying you are very unimpressed and are now writing a blog post about it
• you email the Google Blogger Support Team saying you want to pursue the money paid to the blogger who impersonated by blog

GOOGLE FAIL

Bottom line what looks good on the surface does not deliver in reality

We take inappropriate content seriously
If you see content on a Google product that you believe violates the law or your rights, let us know. We’ll review the material and consider blocking, limiting or removing access to it. Behaviours like phishing, violence or explicit content may also violate our product policies and qualify for removal from Google products. Before creating a request, try to flag the content in the relevant product.

In visual terms this is what the process looks like.......

Reports to Google about copyright infringement and impersonation

The next three images are EXTRACTS from my report of alleged infringement of my copyright on Blogger by another blog which was impersonating my blog name and copying wholesale my blog posts

This is the top part of the first page of the formal form

This is my summary of my complaint in September 2020

You must sign a sworn statement which is a legal document

Lumen database record of my reports

Google reports all copyright infringement complaints to the Lumen Database

Outcome of Google Investigation Reported

This is the email I received

CHECK THE URL!!

NEVER TAKE WHAT GOOGLE SAYS AT FACE VALUE is the lesson from this exercise to date

• the policy is not reflected in action
• the blog has not disappeared!!

I'm sure some of you will recognise the blog posts and note how they have been changed

Plagiarism and theft by a scammer who thinks they are being clever
- but doesn't know me!

Respond to email from Google Blogger Team

My response to the Google Blogger Support Team

I think my next move might be to send a demand to Google AdSense asking for ALL THE GOOGLE ADSENSE INCOME generated by the blog which has impersonated my blog for the sole purpose of making money off Google.

I've already written to the Google Blogger Support Team to say I want the contact details to pursue this.