Google’s ClaimYourContent.com Creates False Hope

According to Whois records, on April 16 Google registered the domain claimyourcontent.com as well as over a dozen related domains.

Google observers quickly discovered the purchase and began to hypothesize what the domain could be used for. Many began to wonder if the site would be a means for Webmasters to claim their content, thus helping them defend against scrapers and guard against the duplicate content penalty.

However, the excitement was premature as Google had previously stated they were working on a DRM tool entitled “Claim Your Content” for YouTube. The domains are, almost certainly for use with that tool.

Despite the letdown, the conversation and ideas surrounding the potential for a “Create Your Content” site were interesting and worth reading. However, none of the sites point to the potential for abuse such a system would have. Obviously, there would have to be protection to prevent a plagiarist from claiming your content first, somethingt hat would be very tricky.

Still, it would be nice if, someday, Google released such a tool. In the meantime though, standard measures to protect content will have to be taken, including the ones listed on this site.

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