Shield Your Online Business from copies: 4 Key Moves to get started!
You and I have been working with online courses, marketing, and social media content for a little while now, right? (Can you believe it’s been almost four years in my case?!)
Experience aside, the hard work it is to produce, sell, and maintain an online business is not made any more uncomplicated by the fact that digital content is so incredibly straightforward to copy. The online product and content copy machines are getting increasingly sophisticated – as are the tools that support your production processes.
Tools like scraping bots, Chat-GPT, and the like are fantastic innovations—unless misused for less scrupulous purposes.
Therefore, it’s critical to recognize the inherent value of your content.
Consider students or customers who might repurpose your meticulously designed freebies or purchased products for their newsletters or offerings. Indeed, you’ve felt that sting of recognition when noticing such familiar content elsewhere.
Is Copying a Genuine Threat to My online Business?
Let’s face it: The digital and online products, including your marketing and promotional content that comprise your business, are indeed at risk of being cloned.
You might think, “But Gyde, this doesn’t apply to me.” And I sincerely hope you’re correct. But the risk is real (apologies for being the bearer of unwelcome news).
Why?
Because the statistics suggest otherwise.
Particularly for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), the threat of being copied—or being accused of copying—is significant.
A startling revelation from a study by the EUIPO in early 2023 indicates that one in three European SMEs affected by intellectual property infringement could face bankruptcy within five years. The EUIPO Scoreboard 2022 released last September paints a grim picture, detailing the negative impacts on businesses, including reduced turnover, reputational damage, and lost competitiveness.
What Can I Do About It in your online business or service business?
The prospect might seem daunting at first, but there’s a silver lining. There is much you can do to prevent copying, even with limited resources.
And what’s better, many preventive measures won’t cost you a dime. In the long run, taking action now can save you not only money but also your reputation and revenue. In this post, I’ll share four proactive steps that you can implement immediately to minimize the risk of copycat incidents and accusations of infringement—helping to keep those copycats at bay.
#1 Educate Your Audience on Ownership
In the digital world, just as in the physical one, clear boundaries can significantly reduce the risk of your online business being copied.
Online products and marketing materials, like the blog posts that engage your readers and the freebies that hook your customers, are indeed incredibly valuable. 🤑🪙💰💵
But overlooking a copy, or even worse, accepting it as a compliment, only emboldens the copiers to continue their infringement.
If you’re uncertain about your rights, it’s likely that your competitors and customers are too. Hence, the first action is to educate yourself and then clearly communicate your rights to others.
Solid self-assurance and direct communication may clash with some people’s perspectives, but remember, their discomfort is not your issue. Your business, income, and value deserve respect, and there are numerous ways to convey this message politely yet effectively.
Educating your audience also means understanding your rights and learning to enforce them legally through three key avenues:
-🧡Copyrights
-🧡Trademarks
-🧡The Marketing Act
#2 Create Unique, Rights-Generating Products
To establish a robust defense against copying, your products must be unique enough to warrant intellectual property rights.
This doesn’t mean you need to reinvent the wheel but perhaps just ‘redecorate’ it slightly so that it stands out. Ensure your products are distinctive—this could be in their design, your unique tone of voice, brand names, brand colors, water marks etc.
→ By adding your personal flair, you improve your chances of securing copyrights and other related rights.
Moreover, by selecting a unique brand or product name that can be trademarked and using consistent brand colors and voice, you make it that much harder for a competitor to replicate your content without getting caught.
#3 Be Cautious with Templates and AI Tools
Templates and AI-generated content, such as that produced by Chat-GPT, are currently all the rage. They can be incredibly powerful—using them requires strategy.
Overreliance on letting “the machiene” do the work, can weaken your claim to unique content, which is essential when protecting your property in cases of copying.
You can not expect to work very little for your own business, and at the same time achieve rights that reward enginuity, creativity and orgininality, that only the human brain can achieve.
Am I against Chat-GPT?
No. Let’s get that out of the way. It is a brilliant tool – if you understand how to use it to strengthen your business (or online business) instead of weakening the potential intellectual property right protecton.
I posted about it on Instagram a while ago and am planning to elaborate on it here, on my blog too, eventually ( English post: LINK, Danish post: LINK).
So, what does this mean in terms of #3? This third checkpoint on our online business checklist against copycats is; Use templates and Chat-GPT (everything you do not create yourself!) cautiously!
It is critical for you to understand that when you use templates, which were the awesome thing before Chat-GPT, when you use Chat-GPT and other A.I.- options, it may dilute for your option to claim the intellectual property rights to content created via these tools.
And subsequently it can be a challenge to stop a copy – because… did they copy you, aka infringe on your rights, or not?!
Finally, I’m excited to introduce the “Stop Tyven”-pakken. It’s a comprehensive solution for preventing copies of your material – especially for solo entrepreneurs with online presence, small businesses, business owners and online course creators or other digital entrpreneurs who are fed up with thieving competitors.
I hear you; Most entrepreneurs consider protection tasks tedious, eually as exiting as accounting or taxes. Still, once infringement occurs, they quickly realize its importance and the regret, when knowing that they could have done more (easily with investing in PATENTsmarter™’s “Stop Tyven”-pakken)
Paul’s story illustrates this point. After his content was copied, he resisted the urge to confront the infringer directly, instead seeking guidance to handle the situation lawfully. He jumped at the chance to access the “Stop Tyven”-pakken, which included modules, downloads, and video lessons crucial for any online entrepreneur. It’s equipped him to better protect his work and deter potential copycats in the future.
This package is a unique, not-to-be-found-anywhere-else offer that I’ve crafted to fill a gap in the market. It’s available for a limited time at an introductory price. If you find the Danish version appealing and are waiting for an English variant, email info@patentsmarter.com to join the waiting list.
Secure Your Online Business Now → Before It's Too Late
Don't wait until your content is copied
>>> it may already be too late, especially the prevention measures...
→ Being proactive helps prevent plagiarism and prepares you to respond swiftly and effectively, minimizing potential damage to your reputation, revenue, and legal expenses.
The “Stop Tyven”-pakken is your key to safeguarding your online business against the pitfalls of copying, keeping your digital assets secure in a world where replicating content is all too easy.
With super easy and simple templates, checklists, keyboard-shortcuts it will be a smooth ride to adapt what you already do and make money on your products and content much longer (because the copycat isn’t stealing your market share!)
Take control of your creations’ destiny with PATENTsmarter™ and ensure your business continues to thrive in the ever-expanding digital marketplace
