Could I have just edited my original post like a normal person instead of posting a correction like I'm some sort of newspaper? Absolutely. Will I? No. Nearly everyone who talks about the issue of stolen stories on Wattpad does so with fury and/or incorrect evidence, but I'm attempting a more clinical look at things. Rather than pretending I had it right all along, I feel its better to update people, but leave the original up to show that this is a process, and an ongoing problem
Corrections:
In my original post, I stated that the DMCA was American law and might not apply because Wattpad is Canadian and NovelHD is Vietnamese. While I was not textbook incorrect in saying either of those things, there is more nuance to it than that. The DMCA is American law, and so only websites hosted in America are legally bound to take down offending works. That being said, there is international law that protects intellectual property, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). They do not have their own takedown request forms as far as I'm aware, but almost every country in the world has signed this intellectual property treaty, including Vietnam and Canada. It also was the legislation that formed the basis of the DMCA. What all of this means is that while the US authorities ca not take any action and a DMCA takedown is only legally binding within US borders, companies in most countries will take down your work if you file a DMCA takedown. There are seven countries that generally ignore the DMCA, but Canada and Vietnam are not among them.
Does this mean NovelHD would comply with a DMCA takedown request? Not necessarily. Copyright takedowns work under the assumption that the website prohibits stolen content and will want to have it removed. The statement should not be "Vietnam complies with Copyright law", but rather "Vietnam complies with copyright law in cases of legitimate websites." NovelHD knows they are uploading work that does not belong to them, and may even be trying to cover for it (1). If they are already committing a crime, there would be no reason for the individual company to respond to a DMCA takedown, even if the country as a whole has agreed to it. Wattpad Support claimed in an email with @Captain-America-girl that NovelHD "sometimes accept[s] DMCA takedown requests filed in Vietnamese" however, so it is possible they would do it.
I also made an error in stating that it matters that Wattpad provides copyright protection to its users. It is an added protection and bonus, certainly, but it is enough for the DMCA that you can prove you own the material.
New Developments:
NovelHD has changed its name to NovelWW, possibly in response to a takedown petition (1). I could not find my stories on there when I looked, but that does not mean they are not there (NovelWW's navigation is TERRIBLE), and plenty of other people's stuff is. I have no proof that my adding of disclaimers to my stories is what did it, but I would not rule it out and would encourage anyone reading to do the same (sample disclaimer at the bottom). There would be no point in me contacting NovelWW at this point, because I have no proof that they still have hold of my work, but if anyone else does find their fanfic on there and wants to do it, please contact me, as I would love to be in the know and might be able to help.
I also found another Wattpad mirror site named Novel2U.net, just so people are aware. This one is equally as full of inappropriate ads and possibly viruses as the others, so I would not go there.
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NovelHD also appears to have a sister site called TruyenHD which seems to be for East Asian stories, and not fanfic as far as I can tell. Googling titles got me a mix of inappropriate manga and nothing conclusive. Google Lens-ing the cover images yielded nothing other than that these covers are probably homemade. I could not locate any specific website as a source. If anyone recognizes any of these titles or cover images, please let me know
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The disclaimer I've been using on works is:
Disclaimer: This story is posted only on Wattpad. If you are reading it somewhere else it has been posted there without my consent. Kindly seek out the original instead and know that the website you are using may not be safe.
Final Thoughts:
My personal involvement with the NovelWW drama has kind of stagnated as they don't seem to have my stories anymore, but I will continue to monitor the drama and I have one other update planned. I also may do more detailed research into Vietnamese copyright law, but it's 3:00 AM and I don't have the mental strength right now. As always, there are petitions out there and you can go find them and sign them if you want, but I'm not sure if it will do anything.
Stay safe out there on the internet, folks.
~Sorrel <3
(1)-These facts are from a Youtube video on the topic that is speculative on the first point and does not provide proof of the second, so take it with a grain of salt.
Sources (working links in the comments):
"Does the DMCA apply outside of the United States?"-https://www.hack-hunt.com/knowledge-base/does-the-dmca-apply-outside-of-united-states.html
"Will DMCA Takedown work in other countries?"-https://www.dmca.com/faq/Will-DMCA-Takedown-work-in-other-countries
"WIPO Member States"-https://www.wipo.int/members/en/
"DMCA Ignored Countries-Only These 7 Are, as of 2022"-https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/dmca-ignored-countries/
"NovelHD Changed Their Name to NovelWW"-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG1za47qHnY
