GottaGettaCoach!^®, Incorporated

Copyright Notice

All original text, images, graphics, and all other materials on www.ggci.com, and any of its related websites, are copyright protected and may NOT be reproduced or reposted without the express written permission from GGCI, and proper attribution to GGCI. Such attribution must include, on each and every page that includes such GGCI content, a fully-functional hyperlink back to the original GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. URL.

Coaches and Webmasters, Take Particular Note

The International Coach Federation has formally weighed in on the matter of poaching website content. From their February 2009 issue of Coaching World, its member newsletter:

According to most legal jurisdictions, it is an infringement to take another’s copyrighted creative writing; you could be legally vulnerable if you use another’s words and represent them as your own. In addition to potential legal ramifications, in the US and elsewhere in our global community, it is a breach of the ICF Code of Ethics. ICF Code of Ethics reads as follows:

The ICF Standards of Ethical Conduct: Part Two; Section 1 (Professional Conduct At Large); paragraph (3): As a coach I will recognize and honor the efforts and contributions of others and not misrepresent them as my own. I understand that violating this standard may leave me subject to legal remedy by a third party.

This standard can cover the copying of any person or organization’s materials. If you misrepresent the copy as your own, without noting proper attribution to the original owner, then you may be in breach of the ICF Code of Ethics.

For example, you have hired a Web designer to design and write content for your Web site. He or she uses copy that actually came from another coaches’ Web site. This could be a breach of the ICF Code of Ethics because as the owner of your site, you are the ultimate presenter/owner of that information and are therefore responsible.

source: February 2009 issue of ICF Coaching World

It is therefore incumbent upon you to insure that your webmaster's are not simply lifting content from other websites and calling it YOUR own.