David - I had a similar occurrence with mine being taken off Tribalpages by someone I thought was trustworthy, and then given to someone else on Genes Reunited. It's frustrating, but the only thing I've done since, is change my password frequently. The "poacher" hasn't come back since. Regards - Terry -----Original Message----- From: eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of David Matthews Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 6:42 AM To: Herefordshire Mailing List Subject: [HEF] Advice please - publication of plagiarised tree - GREENLY of Herefordshire This is slightly off topic but as this relates to a Herefordshire research, I thought it appropriate to seek advice here. I recently decided that it was time to publish one of my family trees to ensure that the information that I have gathered over the last decade was made more widely available. The tree in question covers my maternal ancestors - the GREENLY family of Herefordshire - and dates back all the way to the 15thC and runs to the present day with over 600 individuals catalogued (with perhaps a further 300 still to add). It is supported by many thousands of hours of research and several shelves full of supporting documentation. Upon uploading the GEDCOM to Ancestry yesterday, I discovered that my tree has already been published by someone in the USA claiming it as their own work. I had assisted this individual a few months ago, sending them a copy of the GEDCOM to enable them to check for intersections with their own line. Needless to say, I had not been asked whether my work could be published and no credit is given to me. In fact, the tree in question consists of over 3000 individuals and appears to be a conglomeration of the work of several serious and committed researchers (at least one other tree included is well known to me and is the work of an excellent and scholarly genealogist in California with whom I have corresponded for several years). Quite apart from the mindless audacity of the publication, those who have used Ancestry to publish trees will know that the software now offers 'hints' where other information in the Ancestry database appears to match the data in your tree. As a result of the publication of the plagiarised data therefore, I now get a 'hint' for every single individual in my tree, making it impossible to distinguish genuine matches which may advance my research. In frustration, I have therefore decided to delete my tree from Ancestry rather than add the source citations and background that would have created such a rich family and social history. The status quo therefore is that the data is in the public domain but the 'author' has not one useful scrap of knowledge to support the work and anyone enquiring about, or challenging the information will be met with blissful ignorance. Has anyone had any similar experiences? Does anyone know whether Ancestry would do anything about plagiarism which only serves to undermine the whole purpose of publication? Thanks in advance, David Matthews ---- ENG-HEREFORD Mailing List ---- A genealogy and local history list covering the County of Hereford ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-HEREFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
These paid websites, ancestry, etc. are notorious for scanning the web and taking Whatever data they can get and putting in on their website. Although this seems Not very nice ( in my case it represented 50 years of very hard work on wills and Parish registers) to assemble the data; however, my attitude has been that this Is available to all at no cost. I do not believe that you can patent or copyright Any ancestral data at all nor should you be able to. One can have the satisfaction Of knowing that they have proven and assembled the data, but once published or on the Web it is in the public domain. As far as saying "I did this" when you did not, that is another matter--one of personal integrity--but your family tree obviously has many more descendants than you (especially if you are at 1500) who have a vested interest in the data you have produced. Steve Kelsey www.geocities.com/sjkelsey2000 www.woodyatt.bravehost.com www.geocities.com/herefpr -----Original Message----- From: eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of TERRY DIPPLE Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 4:59 AM To: the_mad_@rchitect.net; eng-hereford@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [HEF] Advice please - publication of plagiarised tree - GREENLY of Herefordshire David - I had a similar occurrence with mine being taken off Tribalpages by someone I thought was trustworthy, and then given to someone else on Genes Reunited. It's frustrating, but the only thing I've done since, is change my password frequently. The "poacher" hasn't come back since. Regards - Terry -----Original Message----- From: eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of David Matthews Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 6:42 AM To: Herefordshire Mailing List Subject: [HEF] Advice please - publication of plagiarised tree - GREENLY of Herefordshire This is slightly off topic but as this relates to a Herefordshire research, I thought it appropriate to seek advice here. I recently decided that it was time to publish one of my family trees to ensure that the information that I have gathered over the last decade was made more widely available. The tree in question covers my maternal ancestors - the GREENLY family of Herefordshire - and dates back all the way to the 15thC and runs to the present day with over 600 individuals catalogued (with perhaps a further 300 still to add). It is supported by many thousands of hours of research and several shelves full of supporting documentation. Upon uploading the GEDCOM to Ancestry yesterday, I discovered that my tree has already been published by someone in the USA claiming it as their own work. I had assisted this individual a few months ago, sending them a copy of the GEDCOM to enable them to check for intersections with their own line. Needless to say, I had not been asked whether my work could be published and no credit is given to me. In fact, the tree in question consists of over 3000 individuals and appears to be a conglomeration of the work of several serious and committed researchers (at least one other tree included is well known to me and is the work of an excellent and scholarly genealogist in California with whom I have corresponded for several years). Quite apart from the mindless audacity of the publication, those who have used Ancestry to publish trees will know that the software now offers 'hints' where other information in the Ancestry database appears to match the data in your tree. As a result of the publication of the plagiarised data therefore, I now get a 'hint' for every single individual in my tree, making it impossible to distinguish genuine matches which may advance my research. In frustration, I have therefore decided to delete my tree from Ancestry rather than add the source citations and background that would have created such a rich family and social history. The status quo therefore is that the data is in the public domain but the 'author' has not one useful scrap of knowledge to support the work and anyone enquiring about, or challenging the information will be met with blissful ignorance. Has anyone had any similar experiences? Does anyone know whether Ancestry would do anything about plagiarism which only serves to undermine the whole purpose of publication? Thanks in advance, David Matthews ---- ENG-HEREFORD Mailing List ---- A genealogy and local history list covering the County of Hereford ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-HEREFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ---- ENG-HEREFORD Mailing List ---- A genealogy and local history list covering the County of Hereford ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-HEREFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
This has happened to me on several occasions and as you say is really galling. I now never update my sites so on most of them there is some bad data. I make this quite explicit in my introductory pages so that people have to contact me for updates. I then name and shame the plagiarists (there is a growing list), warning others about the potential for picking up errors. None of the sites seem interested in what I have done as indeed they have no interest in ensuring the accuracy of what is published. I don't suppose this will make any difference in the long run but it makes me feel better. Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "TERRY DIPPLE" <tadip44@cinci.rr.com> To: <the_mad_@rchitect.net>; <eng-hereford@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 11:58 AM Subject: Re: [HEF] Advice please - publication of plagiarised tree - GREENLYof Herefordshire > David - I had a similar occurrence with mine being taken off Tribalpages > by > someone I thought was trustworthy, and then given to someone else on Genes > Reunited. It's frustrating, but the only thing I've done since, is change > my > password frequently. The "poacher" hasn't come back since. > Regards - Terry > > -----Original Message----- > From: eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:eng-hereford-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of David Matthews > Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 6:42 AM > To: Herefordshire Mailing List > Subject: [HEF] Advice please - publication of plagiarised tree - GREENLY > of > Herefordshire > > This is slightly off topic but as this relates to a Herefordshire > research, > I thought it appropriate to seek advice here. > > > > I recently decided that it was time to publish one of my family trees to > ensure that the information that I have gathered over the last decade was > made more widely available. The tree in question covers my maternal > ancestors - the GREENLY family of Herefordshire - and dates back all the > way > to the 15thC and runs to the present day with over 600 individuals > catalogued (with perhaps a further 300 still to add). It is supported by > many thousands of hours of research and several shelves full of supporting > documentation. > > > > Upon uploading the GEDCOM to Ancestry yesterday, I discovered that my tree > has already been published by someone in the USA claiming it as their own > work. I had assisted this individual a few months ago, sending them a > copy > of the GEDCOM to enable them to check for intersections with their own > line. > Needless to say, I had not been asked whether my work could be published > and > no credit is given to me. In fact, the tree in question consists of over > 3000 individuals and appears to be a conglomeration of the work of several > serious and committed researchers (at least one other tree included is > well > known to me and is the work of an excellent and scholarly genealogist in > California with whom I have corresponded for several years). > > > > Quite apart from the mindless audacity of the publication, those who have > used Ancestry to publish trees will know that the software now offers > 'hints' where other information in the Ancestry database appears to match > the data in your tree. As a result of the publication of the plagiarised > data therefore, I now get a 'hint' for every single individual in my tree, > making it impossible to distinguish genuine matches which may advance my > research. In frustration, I have therefore decided to delete my tree from > Ancestry rather than add the source citations and background that would > have > created such a rich family and social history. > > > > The status quo therefore is that the data is in the public domain but the > 'author' has not one useful scrap of knowledge to support the work and > anyone enquiring about, or challenging the information will be met with > blissful ignorance. > > > > Has anyone had any similar experiences? Does anyone know whether Ancestry > would do anything about plagiarism which only serves to undermine the > whole > purpose of publication? > > > > Thanks in advance, > > > > David Matthews > > > > ---- ENG-HEREFORD Mailing List ---- > A genealogy and local history list covering the County of Hereford > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-HEREFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ---- ENG-HEREFORD Mailing List ---- > A genealogy and local history list covering the County of Hereford > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ENG-HEREFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.6.7/1632 - Release Date: 8/25/2008 > 7:05 AM > > >