Folks, the Internet is a big place and people make mistakes about copying content that they're not allowed to copy. We have to educate even our own writers about images and copyright. It's natural to feel outrage and upset, and the first time it happened to me, that's exactly what I felt too. (Now I just get exasperated because of how often it happens.)

What the DMCA allows for is to contact the author or publisher of an article and have them remove the offending content. The "offending content" in this case were the exact quotes of people's posts. He's done that, so that's the end of the story.

Anybody can and is free to write articles based upon things they've read elsewhere, whether it be a book, a forum post, or another blog posting. I've written dozens of such blog posts that were based on my reaction or response to something else I've read online. It's a large part of what blogging can be about for some people.

Once an author has removed the offending material, the matter is settled as far as we're concerned. While you're welcomed to do as you please with regard to reviews and such, I find that it's easy to cross the line into wanting to "teach a person a lesson." I usually don't find such behaviors gain the kind of response you were hoping for.

We have always and will continue to send DMCA take down notices when we come across this sort of behavior. This is all done (usually) behind the scenes, and we've sent out dozens over the years. We will continue to enforce the intellectual property rights of our members, as it's a part of the free service we offer to our members.

DocJohn

PS - I'm going to close this thread, because we have two threads talking about the same exact topic. The other thread will stay open.