Website thief

[Hugmaster]

Someone has copied and pasted material from our website on to their own website, and have unknowingly taken our statcode with it. This has enabled us to track down who the culprit is, but has also sent our stats into confusion! Is there a way in which we can protect our website material from such thieves?

[grannysjewelrybox]

:D Yes there is! Here is a script to add to each of your pages that disables the "right click" functions....just remember, they are disabled for everyone, including you.

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">

<!--
var message="Copyright © You do not have permission to copy these images please e-mail me and ask for the picture you want "; // Message for the alert box
function click(e) {
if (document.all) {
if (event.button == 2) {
alert(message);
return false;
}
} if (document.layers) {
if (e.which == 3) {
alert(message);
return false;
}
}
} if (document.layers) {
document.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEDOWN);
} document.onmousedown=click;
// --> </SCRIPT>


I had the same problem, except it was my pictures that were being used on another website. They had the nerve to be using them from my server instead of actually copying them and loading them to their own server. With this script noone has access to my file names. You can see the script in action on my site at http://www.grannysjewelrybox.com
Try right clicking anywhere in the site.

Granny

[Hugmaster]

Thanks very much! Code will be in place very soon!

[Tomcat76]

1) That script only covers Internet Explorer and Netscape 4
2) You can update that 10-year-old script by adding something that would block right-click for current versions of Mozilla browsers too (including Mozilla, Firebird, Netscape, Camino, etc), but remember that it doesn't block right-clicking in Opera, and that one can easily disable right-click interference in Mozilla's preferences. Also, in IE, one simply has to disable JavaScript to get the right-click function back.

<script type="text/javascript">
document.oncontextmenu = function(){return false}
if(document.layers){window.captureEvents(Event.MOU SEDOWN);
window.onmousedown = function(e){if(e.target==document)return false;}}
else {document.onmousedown = function(){return false}}
</script>

[Hugmaster]

Hi

I doubt the thief in question has the technical ability to sort that one out, but is worth knowing all the same.

Thanks again

[DavidRehm]

That kind of code is a really bad idea, very unprofessional, and anyone with the most rudimentary of knowledge can get around it.

[Blueberry]

Aww that's a bit harsh.

[grannysjewelrybox]

Thanks Tomcat! I didn't realize that it didn't cover all Netscape versions. I've added it to all of my pages.
And to DavidRehm, I see nothing unprofessional about protecting my work as much as I can.

[Tomcat76]

grannysjewelrybox:

You're welcome, but I do agree with DavidRehm for the most part. One doesn't have to be very computer savvy to get around it, and there's nothing you can do (legally) about someone saving an image to disk. This is because --however you twist and turn it-- the particular part of the Internet that your web site resides on is defined as "public domain". Fortunately, you have the ability to password-protect your pages via several means; you may want to get in touch with your web space provider for more info or --even better-- do a search on the Internet.

Basically, what you are doing is not protecting your content, rather disabling a software application from doing an action it is allowed to do. This is because, according to the law, computers don't make copies; therefore you wouldn't have a case if the user simply saved an image to disk for personal usage. If it WERE against the law, any user just viewing a site would be prone to being subpoena'd because it is downloaded and placed in the browser's cache automatically when viewed.

All in all, you'd only have a case if you are effectively the copyright holder AND if the other person/entity has made it publically available again. Assuming that you do have a copyright on (some of) the content that was "stolen" and reproduced, you could press charges against that person.

Something else... if you are the copyright holder of the images but not of the text on your site, then people might actually sue YOU for making them unable to select part of the text and right-click the selection in order to copy it into another application. Recently, a disabled person won a case against the owner of a web site that wasn't "accessible enough". If you don't own the copyright on the text, I suggest you don't use the current script.

[Hugmaster]

Hi

Well, in my case, as I'm running a business, there's a copyright notice at the bottom of every page on my site which states clearly that no part of the site is to be reprinted or reused in any format whatsoever without written permission.

Regarding the issue of how good these scripts are, I think you're giving the majority of computer users more credit than they deserve. As an example, most of the people I know wouldn't know that "control C" was the copy keystroke, if they can't use the mouse they're stuck :) let alone how to disable Java in Explorer.

Regarding Dave's issue of unprofessionalism, I'm a mobile DJ, not a computer programmer and just wanted a way to stop folks right clicking, I didn't want my website to make the user's computer explode if they tried stealing material, a sense of proportion is needed here I think.

[grannysjewelrybox]

Thanks for the insight Tomcat. I have a copyright notice on each page so I think I'm ok as far as getting sued. All of the text, as well as the pictures are mine and part of my business. I think hugmaster is correct that most people don't know how to disable the script or if they do it would be such a pain in the a** to keep doing it that they wouldn't bother. So many websites these days are JavaScript dependent. As I said before, I've had someone using my images (from my server no less!) on their website and I want to do everything I can to keep that from happening again.
Granny

[Tomcat76]

A minor "FYI":

A copyright notice on a web site doesn't mean anything on itself; everybody is allowed to write that something is copyrighted, even if it isn't. So, inspite of the "warning", if you are not the copyright holder, then you can't do anything about someone "stealing" it from your site.

[grannysjewelrybox]

I realize that Tomcat, but again....the average web surfer doesn't. That's why I'm using the scripts. If someone is gonna steal my stuff, I'm not gonna make it easy for them.
Granny

[webwey]

There is also a code for preventing the image toolbar in IE6 from automatically coming up when hovering over an image:

<META HTTP-EQUIV="imagetoolbar" CONTENT="no">

and there is also one to prevent a cache being made of the webpage, but I don't have that.

I may be wrong here, but isn't there also some html code or meta tag that can be used instead of javascript for disabling the right click function?

[webwey]

Hugmaster - can you find the website that your stolen stuff appears on? If so, do they have a guestbook or anything where you could post a notice about it?

Or perhaps you could notify their host?

[grannysjewelrybox]

I've already taken care of that. I emailed the person and told her to remove them, which she did. The pictures even had my website name on them!
Granny

[trackerm]

I had the same problem where people would knock off an attractive java script, and at the same time knock off the statcounter code. instead of disabling right click (i wouldnt want that - even if I could do it) I inserted the following:



//If you take this script DO NOT cut and paste the Web Counter at the bottom of the page! If you do I will Have access to your webpage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Delete all script below End the Hiding Comment.

End of problem ;)

[sha-sha]

Reading the posts, I have to admit I learned a few things!

My take on it is slow them down as much as possible. The savy ones will most likely get through. You can cetainly cut a lot of it out from the ones that don't know any better.
:wink:

[abajan]

...and there is also one to prevent a cache being made of the webpage, but I don't have that.

I may be wrong here, but isn't there also some html code or meta tag that can be used instead of javascript for disabling the right click function?

Here's a script to prevent caching:
<meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache" />

With the exception of pages containing submission forms, it's probably not such a good idea to use "no caching" codes though, especially if your website gets a lot of hits because bandwidth is used up quicker. Normally, when a user revisits a page, the browser only downloads fresh content but if it has to download the whole page every time, that's more bandwidth.

And yes, I think you're correct about the code to disable right-clicking but all one needs to do to get around it is to go to View > Source (at least in MSIE 6.0).

Even using those source code encryptors are a not much use either. Think about it: if a browser can get decode it, the one who made the browser can too!

[webmoriar]

Thanks for the insight Tomcat. I have a copyright notice on each page so I think I'm ok as far as getting sued. All of the text, as well as the pictures are mine and part of my business. I think hugmaster is correct that most people don't know how to disable the script or if they do it would be such a pain in the a** to keep doing it that they wouldn't bother. So many websites these days are JavaScript dependent. As I said before, I've had someone using my images (from my server no less!) on their website and I want to do everything I can to keep that from happening again.
Granny

Granny I would recommend you change your .htaccess file so no-one can steal your bandwidth by linking off your site. If you have ever seen anyone trying to hotlink off of say geocities you will see it doesn't work since geocities doesn't allow hotlinking. You can find online (and from your host of your website as well I would hope) how to change the .htaccess file to prevent hotlinking.

Hope this helps.

[grannysjewelrybox]

:) Thanks Stephen, I'll look into that.

Granny

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[ffemt]

One of my websites contains a clipart gallery. Before I got my hotlink protection working I had a HUGE problem with people hotlinking my images. So, I renamed the files and updated my pages with the new file names...then uploaded new files with the old file names (the file names that were being hotlinked) So, a few hotlinkers had to explain their use of hard core ****! :lol:

[take_1]

This has all been very interesting to read. I am very new to building websites. How would l know if my images were being hotlinked by someone?

[webmoriar]

You would have to have access to the server logs. With free services this is not possible (for instance geocities) but most free services prevent hotlinking anyway.

[webado]

All true, yet incomplete.

Everybody seems to be forgetting that IE's View menu allows displaying the source code, despite disabling the right-click!

Use php for the trickier pieces of code that you don't want anybody to steal. That is if your server allows php.

Use an .htacces file in folders containing photos or media file where you instruct the server not to serve them to anybody unless they are on a particular page on your web site. I don't have that specific syntax right now, but I could get it. It's all part of various methods to prevent hotlinking.

Don't keep folders without an index.html file (it can be a totally empty file) because the contents will be listed to anybody typing in the folder's url. Or use .htaccess to disable index listing.

Here is some more information on .htaccess files: http://www.htmlbasix.com/disablehotlinking.shtml.

[webado]

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I think this is forum spam!

[pink_cloud]

This has all been very interesting to read, but what I can't stand is when people put downloads on their sites and they disable the right-click option. It's so annoying! And it defeats the purpose of having downloadables! I haven't been to your site, so I'm not talking about yours. Just keep it at the back of your mind in case you put downloadables on your site ^_^

[webmoriar]

All true, yet incomplete.

Everybody seems to be forgetting that IE's View menu allows displaying the source code, despite disabling the right-click!

Use php for the trickier pieces of code that you don't want anybody to steal. That is if your server allows php.

Use an .htacces file in folders containing photos or media file where you instruct the server not to serve them to anybody unless they are on a particular page on your web site. I don't have that specific syntax right now, but I could get it. It's all part of various methods to prevent hotlinking.

Don't keep folders without an index.html file (it can be a totally empty file) because the contents will be listed to anybody typing in the folder's url. Or use .htaccess to disable index listing.

Here is some more information on .htaccess files: http://www.htmlbasix.com/disablehotlinking.shtml.

If you use frames on your website then using the View > Source will not show the whole code. Ex: http://www.cameronpub.com/

Now right click is not disabled on that site but if you could not right click then you would not be able to see the full source with a framed page.

[webado]

Frames? Sure I can see the code. Not directly, that's all. I will see the source code of the frames page, figure out which pages go in which frame and visit them separately. I may have a bit of trouble with that since I am not conversant with frames, but I can understand that kind of code better than I can write it.

There are other tricks that can be used, such as not allowing a direct visit of a page - you must get there from a particular referrer page which you define. This can be done through .htaccess. I have seen it explained, but I have not tried it.

Basically whatever you try can be beat by somebody, except maybe php code (probably others like asp too) from which you only see the final rendered html code. I think files like *.swf and *.class perhaps cannot be taken apart either - but then I've only used them, not made them.

Under some circumstances you can use an obfuscator tool to encrypt the ascii into unicode, so looking at the source code even if you get to it doesn't help unless you have the reverse tool. That would stop me, since I don't have that tool, but not somebody truly determined.

[Blueberry]

All images on the web can be easily obtained by print screen, if no other method works.
So if you don't want somebody to steal an image from your website, you have to degrade it in some way, e.g. add a watermark.

[webado]

LOL! if somebody will go to such lengths to obtain an image, reragdless of quality, they will not worry about a watermark!

Besides, the cache usually has it anyway. :)

Bottom line: if you don't want anybody to take anything you have on the web - don't post on the web!

[maraland]

Thieves are found everywhere; they are usually smart but this one is not...

grannysjewelrybox, thanks for providing the JScript for copyrighting images, but what if I use without D. John's name, will I be another thief..? lolzzzzzzzz.

With regards,
Admin
@
Maraland.NET : SE Asia's most development area (http://www.maraland.net) :lol:

[HellaCooL]

That script is totally useless.
All I have to do is see the source for the picture and copy it.
Or I can just highlight your website and use ctrl+c, and copy everything.
:?

[webmoriar]

That script is totally useless.
All I have to do is see the source for the picture and copy it.
Or I can just highlight your website and use ctrl+c, and copy everything.
:?

It has already been discussed that it is not foolproof but just a hindrance.

[Edam]

And you can also drag the pic up to the address bar. Yes, the right-click script is a hindrance and annoyance.

[spectacularstuff]

Wow! How could I miss this conversation??

Theives! Yes, they are out there....

We have a working copy of a PHP script that hides all of the code from your webpage AND prevents this problem.... let us not forget a few things

1. Most Search Engines do NOT walk frames so if you are in that department, frames are out of the question.

2. If you utilize JS in ANY way, shape or form, the people can get it..... the only way it to use it server side which a colleague of mine and I have done..... This upgrade will be on the market as soon as we get all of the bugs cleared out.....

BTW. Christina I absolutely adore your sig image

We have some more testing to do and theft will no longer be a problem

Wayne
www.worldfamousgiftbaskets.net