Local and Overseas Sites Ripping Us Off

FiveGrand · #1 (**permalink**) 11-29-2005, 08:02 PM

We have had 5 new "companies" in a row pop up from various local and overseas locations steal 50%-90% of our site's content, images, and coding.

Some sites have been careless enough to leave global links in the copied text that link back to our site. One company stole all our customer testimonials (including customer photos), and another took our entire "about the owners" page and made it their own... without changing any names! They have also copied and are selling our main product, website templates, as their own. This included all images taken by our in-house photographer.

The worst overseas rip off sites are from Surrey, UK and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The other sites are located in the US and Canada.

One site was being hosted on 1and1.com. We contacted them and they said they would forward on our complaint to the owner of the site, but aside from that it would be a legal battle they do not want to get in the middle of.

Google said the same, that they would forward our concerns, but would not shut down their PPC campaigns on competitive keywords, or remove them from their organic listings without legal documents.

Does anyone have any ideas for how to handle these companies? Obviously if we had a large legal budget we would pursue these individuals around the globe, but we would be very interested in an alternative less costly approach.

I do not think these companies have deep pockets which means the best we can hope for is to get them offline as cheaply as possible.

Should we be concerned with duplicate content penalties?

Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate any help you can offer.

rkangrah · #2 (**permalink**) 12-11-2005, 05:32 AM

So far there is no law protecting your website graphics (how many websites use amazon's product picture? TONS!!). People copy and paste... it's just a regularity on the Internet.

Don't waste your time and money for legal matter. Especially for Internet products (such as Templates). Trust me.

The only thing to save your website content is by using simple JavaScript so viewer cannot right click to save your website graphics.

Or you can make Flash websites...

ADAM Web Design · #3 (**permalink**) 12-11-2005, 11:48 AM

I'd suggest a few things:

1) Installing a hotlinking script for anyone that directly links to your images. If they link directly to your site when they rip you off, chances are they're taking your images as well.

2) Create a "bluff" letter. One of my clients has a son that's a lawyer, and any time this happens his son has a precompiled cease and desist letter (just a generic). He just changes the address, signs it, and in 95% of cases the letter is acknowledged and the offending content removed.

If someone keeps the content, the son sends off a second letter outlining the specific offenses and indicates that my client has a copy of his website on CD in a sealed, postmarked envelope which will show that his content was first.

It never goes further than that.

Note 1: If you do not have a son that's a lawyer, or a cheap one on retainer, you could always register a private domain name with GoDaddy under the name of a fake law firm (I'd suggest Manning, Brady and Brees) and host the site yourself for a couple of bucks a month. Then send the generic letter from the law firm.

Note 2: If you don't have a copy of your site on a CD in a sealed, postmarked envelope, get one. It's admissible evidence in court (it's supposed to be signed by a notary public, but I don't see how a sealed, postmarked envelope can be forged.)

MsLeigh · #4 (**permalink**) 12-13-2005, 09:32 PM

Okay now I have to comment.

First, I'm not a lawyer, but to pretend to be a lawyer is against the law and you could get into trouble.

Talk to a real lawyer and he can write a simple letter like that for you for about $50.

Also, many lawyers will give advice at no charge, so try talking to a few and ask them what you can do.

Don't even bother with the JavaScript thing. No right click is only a distraction. If someone really wanted to steal your content, they can easily do it by checking out your source code, etc.

You don't need to mail yourself your information on CD. You need to register your information.

Read more here: http://www.dragondogpress.com/unclefiggy/rights.htm

FiveGrand · #5 (**permalink**) 12-20-2005, 05:23 PM

Thank you all for the advice.

We did have a hotlinking script in effect on our images, but we found certain security software would treat our images as third party banners and block them as a result. If anyone knows a great, universal hotlinking script (preferably VBScript or PHP), I would appreciate it.

The stolen images however seem to have been downloaded and moved to a remote server, so this solution won't help in this case.

I think we may try a cease and desist letter, also addressed to a local law firm, and hope that it has the right effect.

Part of the problem seems to be that there is no regulating body besides ICANN for the internet, so people think they can get away with anything (and often they are right). I would imagine anything involving ICANN would exceed our legal budget very quick.

Thanks again.