Good to see that there is actually some recourse out there. I haven't blogged other than Steemit, so the world of intellectual theft didn't really affect me much. I see the problem, when you state that your friends content is all over the internet in a day.
My wife and I were just talking about how much we hate the fact that money corrupts everything. Obvious necessary evil, but it is so pervasive. Whether it be bribes, campaign contributions or outright theft, there always will be that person who desires to pervert the system to benefit themselves.
So true - and why the good guys have to band together. Just fyi - if your post is more personal - it is less likely to be stolen. So recipe bloggers that have their faces in the photos or their kids or dog have less issues. If the post looks generic - it's the first to go.
But yes, this is a big problem all over the internet. At least here - we can stamp them down with group effort. When a person in another country puts your post on their obscure site - it's a bit harder to find and deal with.
One story I remember from years ago is a woman who took a photo of her teen daughter looking happy. She was a portrait photographer and used this pic in her marketing. This photo ended up selling cell phones in Eastern Europe. This photographer was semi-famous and started getting people sending her photos of this pic selling phones in conveniences stores, bus stops, street signs, magazines, etc. All in Latvia and other such countries.
She ended up doing a series of posts about it and I'm sure drew a lot more people to her work out of the problem. AsI recall, she was never able to get the photo taken down because it was widespread, being used by many, and not even on the internet.
She did a post about "My Daughter - The International Star" showing all the usage. Making lemonade from lemons!
People will poach whatever is not being guarded. That is an interesting case study you used.
There is so much wrong going on and I like the people who make the best of it in creative ways. I have more! I've been at this for about 7 years and people's reaction to theft is very interesting to me :)