DMCA Complaints Require Precise Examples

Occasionally we see confusion and impatience, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about previously submitted DMCA complaints.

I have repeatedly submitted a complaint about "offendingblog.blogspot.com" - and nothing is done! How long must I wait, for results??

We should start by noting that Google staff attention cannot ever be promised immediately - but if a valid complaint is submitted, repeatedly, with no results, maybe the problem is in the presentation of the complaint.

Blogger Policy Enforcement staff advises us that a DMCA complaint, when submitted, needs to include precise and specific examples of the perceived problem. Each example should be described in two parts.

1. A precise example of some content, in your blog, that was copied.
2. A precise example of some content, in the offending blog / website, which matches #1.

Instead of guessing or combing through your blog, then through the offending blog / website, and searching for matching content, the Blogger analysts time is better spent taking your complaint and submitting the complaint to Lumen (pka "ChillingEffects").

You know how you have been offended - so tell Blogger exactly how you have been offended, in the DMCA Complaint which you submit.

As always, do not submit frivolous DMCA complaints - your bank account may require discretion.

And be careful to use the right complaint procedure. DMCA Complaints are for very specific and genuine copyright violations. Other offenses must be reported, using different procedures.

Copy And Paste The Ownership Verification Details

The Custom Domain Ownership Verification requirement has been with us for over a year - and we still see confusion, and easily corrected mistakes.

One of the most frustrating mistakes involves mistyping of the details.

I keep getting an "Error 12". My registrar insists that the DNS addresses are right.

But, the registrar must be wrong, since the blog just can't be published!

When you type the base domain DNS addresses, into the registrar's zone editor, eyeballing what you type is somewhat obvious. Either you get it right - or you don't. Typing the domain ownership verification details, on the other hand, is not so simple.

When you setup your domain, you know the domain name. Who's buried, in Grant's Tomb, anyway?

You probably spent hours, choosing just the right domain name. Choosing an available, yet memorable, domain name is not a simple task. Some consultants make the domain name an essential, initial choice, in setting up a company.

Since you know the domain, when you setup the base DNS addresses, it's reasonably easy to get that right. Having gotten the base DNS addresses setup just right, you try to publish the blog to the domain - and now you get the infamous "Error 12".

An example of the "Error 12" display.
See the short, and long, tokens?


The problem with the "Error 12" is not just having to setup one more DNS address. You already setup 2 - or maybe 5 - to get the base DNS addresses. The big problem here is the content of this second "CNAME".

You know every character of the base DNS addresses. You've typed all of that, over and over. Then, you look at the second "CNAME" - which contains pure random garbage.

Pure random garbage that is essential, on a character by character basis. Get just one character wrong - or omitted - or reverse any characters, in sequence - and the "Error 12" never goes away.

• The “Name / Label / Host” value ("short token") is exactly 12 characters.
• The Destination / Target / Points To” random value ("long token") is exactly 14 characters.
• Do not confuse a “O” / “o” (alphabetic characters) with a “0” (numeric character).
• Do not confuse an “l” or "t" (alphabetic characters) or a “1” (numeric character).
• Do not confuse a "w" (single, alphabetic character) with a "vv" (two alphabetic characters).

Do you have a good quality magnifying glass handy? Use it - and look at the differences and similarities, in the above 5 cases used above, as examples.

When you get an "Error 12" or similar, and the message includes a section

Name, Label or Host field Destination, Target or Points To field

The only proper procedure here involves use of the clipboard. Copy / paste the short token, then copy / paste the long token.

Don't type by hand. Please. And when you copy then paste, keep in mind the zone editor entry syntax, which is essential to a working domain - and differs from registrar to registrar.