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LISTING SCRAPING? WHAT ABOUT PLAGIARISM?? Copyright Cheat Sheet Link!!

Reblogger
Real Estate Agent with Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate 303829;0225082372

Listing Scraping and Plagiarism.

Is there a law on the federal or state books that isn't flouted daily??

Listing Scraping is old news.  Since 1993, it's been a "case over" matter.  See:  http://thedataadvocate.com/2013/07/10/the-lion-and-bill-chee/

ON ANOTHER TOPIC:  Is there no longer any pride in creating original content??

Listing Scraping?  HA!  That horse left the barn years ago.

Copyright violation?  HA!  There's rarely even an attempt to disguise this illegality.

WHERE IS THE PRIDE OF CREATING AN ORIGINAL WRITING??

With a little practice, it's just as easy and far more satisfying to write a few original lines ABOUT ANYTHING than to simply copy and paste words written by someone else.

                                                   

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Original content by Winston Heverly 433494

 

Industry Cracks Down on Listing Scraping

 

Blog

 

 

The real estate industry is taking steps to prevent scraping — or data piracy — of online real estate listings.

Realtor.com said earlier this year that it is making efforts to block automated bots from trying to scrape listing data from its more than 1 million pages per day.

“Scraping happens every day, and it’s something that’s surprisingly inexpensive for cybercriminals to do,” Amit Kulkarni, Move’s creative director, said in a blog post detailing realtor.com’s efforts to curb scraping.

The latest company to step in and join anti-scraping efforts: Distil Networks, a technology company, that says it will be developing an “industry-wide intelligence network” for the real estate industry to identify those who scrape real estate listing data without permission, Inman News reports.

To date, 12 MLSs have signed on with the Distil service on their public Web sites and 23 are reportedly considering using the company soon. The program helps to identify scrapers among the legitimate traffic to your site. According to Distil officials, every site that has used its program has discovered scraping of its data.

“I think that anyone that doesn’t feel they have a scraping problem — unless they have the best technology people on staff — is living in a fool’s paradise,” says Rosemary Scardina, CEO of East Bay Regional Data Inc., which became the first MLS to try Distil in beta testing in February. “It wasn’t a matter of if I had a scraping problem, it was a matter of how bad the scraping problem was.” By blocking scrapers from the site, Distill officials say the site was then able to load twice as fast and improved the visitors’ experience.

Clareity Consulting, a real estate consulting firm which approached Distill about creating anti-scraping software for the real estate industry, has also helped to create a new nonprofit organization dedicated to protect the intellectual property rights of multiple listing services and brokerages. One of the main missions of REDPLAN Inc. — Real Estate Data Protection Legal Association Network — is to inform those who scrape MLS data without permission that MLSs will enforce their intellectual property rights. It serves as a network of industry officials that alert one another about data thefts and serves as a legal clearinghouse to decide which cases to actively pursue.

Source: “Coordinated Effort to Target Real Estate Scrapers Underway,” Inman News (Aug.1, 2013)

 

P. Winston Heverly, GRI, ABR, SFR, CDPE, CIAS, PA

We service all of Palm Beach County and S. Florida

 

 513 N. Country Club Drive, Suite 200, Atlantis, FL 33462

Office: (561) 247-7376 - Fax: (561) 537-7223 - Cell: (561) 629-2660

Email: PWH@WinstonRealty.co - Web: WinstonRealty

 

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Comments (16)

Conrad Allen
Re/Max Professional Associates - Webster, MA
Webster, Ma, Realtor

Hi Lenn.  This should have been done years ago.  We have lost control of our own data.

Aug 18, 2013 08:10 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

Conrad.  Indeed.  I remember it well.  The NAR gave it away to the company that preceeded Realtor.com.

The NAR employees that made the decision received the ability to buy some cheap stock in return. 

Aug 18, 2013 08:21 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Everyone is entitled these days!  They are entitled to other's content!  Everything is about me, me, me, no matter what!

Well, we know who is entitled to another's blog points, but that doesn't count with what I said above...

Aug 18, 2013 08:55 PM
Jeff Pearl
RE/MAX Distinctive / LIC in VA - Lovettsville, VA
Full Service Full Time Realtor

I doubt we'll see anything change from these companies efforts to block listing scraping. Sounds like just another way someone thought of to make money from the real estate industry. Seems like information is available from so many different sources, they could never plug all the holes.

Aug 18, 2013 09:26 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

The listing for Mickey's house was copied and pasted.  Originally iit stated there was a pool, five bedrooms and three bathrooms.  It has NO pool, four bedrooms and two full baths, one 1/2 bath.

Aug 18, 2013 09:29 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

Jay.  If nothing else, we learn who follows the rules and who doesn't. 

Jeff.  Of course.  I remember the time in 1993 when this was news.   It was accurately predicted very early, See:  http://thedataadvocate.com/2013/07/10/the-lion-and-bill-chee/

Roger.  They are ALL copied and pasted by someone.

Aug 18, 2013 09:57 PM
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

I have been guilty of this in the past, but a little coaching from my friends got me to correct the problem. Thank you Lenn.

Make it a great week!

Aug 18, 2013 10:25 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

Joe.  HA! 

I see no difference in listing scraping and web page scraping or copy and paste.

If you didn't write it, don't publish it.

That's why god created LINKING!!

Aug 18, 2013 11:32 PM
Dick Greenberg
New Paradigm Partners LLC - Fort Collins, CO
Northern Colorado Residential Real Estate

Hi Lenn - I think the problem is that original content requires effort, which requires motivation, which seems to be in short and declining supply. It's so much easier to cheat, and the penalties are so weak and inconsistent. Why bother doing it right? Self-respect is highly over-rated anyhow.

Aug 19, 2013 12:19 AM
Brenda Mullen
RE/MAX Associates - San Antonio, TX
Your San Antonio TX Real Estate Agent!!

Unfortunately, I don't see this ending any time soon.  The important thing to do is to keep trying to educate consumers and hope that they don't get scammed. 

Aug 19, 2013 01:20 AM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

Dick.  I agree.  We made a dent on ActiveRain but they still keep coming.  Most of the violations I see now are copying and pasting an article and simply giving attribution at the end.

They have still broker the law.  A snippet and a link is the only legal way to do it.

Oh well.

Brenda.  I gave up trying.  I know that from time to time some gets a latter from Getty or some other copyright holder because they call me to commiserate.  However, unless they starting blogging about it, other members aren't going to learn.

Aug 19, 2013 06:15 AM
Janis Borgueta
Newburgh, NY
Retired RE Salesperson

Seems like so much effort goes into taking what doesn't belong to people. Just writing new copy would be so much easier. If not, then pay for.  I love your comment about LINKING. 

Sep 08, 2013 09:26 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

Janis.  Thanks. Linking is good.  It's also easy.

The reason folks don't link is because they want readers to believe that they created the content.

Sep 08, 2013 11:28 PM
Jim Beitz
Keller Williams Success Realty - East Layton, UT

I'm all about creating my own content.  That said - there really is nothing new under the sun so creating new content is simply about organizing existing information in my own way and in my own words.

Plagiarism is alive and well even within the blog rolls here on Active Rain.  I'd sa it's well worth your time to take snippets of your content and google them - 3 to 5 words.  See who else thinks your content is worth posting.

Sep 09, 2013 03:27 AM
Anna Hatridge
R Gilliam Real Estate LLC - Farmington, MO
Missouri Realtor with R Gilliam Real Estate LLC

Just so sad that it continues to be an issue.

Oct 06, 2013 12:12 AM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

Utah.  I disagree totally.  There are so many ways of described ideas and other thoughts in our own words that reflect our own writing skills and ability to express in the written word, there is NEVER any excuse to steal the written works of others. 

Yes, plagiarism is alive and well on ActiveRain.  Every member must take responsibility for their own actions. 

Anna.  It is, isn't it.

 

Oct 06, 2013 12:27 AM