Hello,

I have created a web site for reselling several months ago. I spent weeks on end building and designing. I even brought images from photo companies.

I discovered only a few days ago from my referr logs that someone has stolen my complete web site and replaced my company name with theirs and even the copyright statement at the end of my pages !!! It looks like they are in the building stages at the moment as they have not copied all of the pages yet !!!!They even placed their contact details online!!

I don't have a problem with them using the text as I was allowed to use that from my reseller hosting company. But I do have a problem with them using my images and the look and feel of my site.

Does any one have any tips on approaching this scum bag?? I would be even happy just to get business by black mail i.e you can buy this design for US$10,000 of course the more the better!!!
Iam not based in the states.

regards

urch

Well, if you're not based in the states, then contacting a lawyer probably won't help you much. You might send them a letter, but without the backing of a lawyer's stationary they're likely to ignore it.

However, one thing you *can* do, and this wouldn't cost you a dime and would probably solve at least part of the problem - if, as you indicate, you purchased photos from a stock photo company, and this web design thief is using those photos, you can contact the stock photo company that you purchased your photos from and inform them of the copyright infringement. I've found that most photo companies do not take kindly to people who steal their photos without paying.

Of course, that only solves the problem if the design thief doesn't want to pay for the photos. If he/she does pay for the photos (once the photo company contacts them with a cease and desist notice), then you're back to square one. But this gives you a starting point at least.

Good luck,

Jason

Well, don't let your hours be stolen....

It's not fair! send them a letter call them, and I agree with Jason - tell the photo company so you'll have some back up for this one...

BTW, please remember to post the copyright notices wherever you can!

Good luck

Urch,

You might feel like posting the name of the website here too. There's more than a few people here like myself who do design for a living and react pretty badly when we see someone's work being ripped off. With 2000 members on this forum, they can be pretty much assured of a few emails sent their way.

I've just posted a thread myself in regards to some odd links from my site appearing from someone's hard drive via Human Click :), so I'm expecting a new look for a certain site soon, looking a little too close to mine for comfort. If/when they do put it up, they can expect quite a tongue-lashing.

Greg Moore

Thanks for the tips guys.

For you guys interest here is the copy cats url:

http://www.vadon.com/vadonhosting

Where do you get that love bug thingy???....

I have tried to contact the offender a couple of times on the phone and got a hello.....I replied is this Vadon?.....you have the wrong number.....dial tone...........!!!!

I have contacted one of the stock companies where I brought some of the images and they said since the images are your property on my site it has nothing to do with them !!!

As Jason Ellis in this thread pointed out Iam basically screwed since I don't live in the States. I would be looking at thousands of dollars!!- very ture Jason

As Logus pointed out in this thread it would be great to aleast get my hours back that have been stolen!!- that would be nice Logus

One thing that I would like to find out is I think someone on this board posted a similar thread that contained a link for legal copyright law that would be suitable to send the copyright offender. This would hopefully scare the abuser off.

Note for Greg Moore:

Hi Greg,

I know what you mean about human click. You and me both!!The copycat scum has copied the human link code from my site into their site as well !!

For you guys interest here is the copy cats url:

http://www.vadon.com/vadonhosting


Thanks all

Urch



[Edited by urch on 03-03-2001 at 12:11 PM]

I sent them this message to bizdev@vadon.com:

You must be a reseller for http://wayhawke.com ?

Did you actually think that people would believe that you developed the site if you put a tiny "Website development by Vadon Services LLC" note at the bottom of the page?

That is disgraceful. Really poor business practice and a rather good way to start off by getting sued.

Wishing you the best in your thievery,

Chicken

Organization:
Srini Srivatsa
Srini Srivatsa
216 Horseblock Rd.
Farmingville, NY 11738
US
Phone: 516-696-8386
Fax..: 630-214-7489
Email: backroad@hotmail.com

Did you try that number? It's got a different area code to the one on the website...

Greg Moore

You can find general IP links, including copyright material, at http://www.iBusinessLawyer.com/cyberlinks/IP.htm. As a general matter, if you are thinking of suing a copyright infringer, you need to register the copyright first; you can find instructions at the Copyright Office's website (there's a link on at the URL above).

I'm surprised that the stock agency was not interested in your story. If you spoke to a lower level person, it's possible that they did not understand that the stock agency retains the copyright and only sells you a license to use the image. Letting folks use your images for free kind of defeats the purpose of having a stock agency. . . . Maybe the person you spoke to was a disgruntled Napster user.

-- Jon


[The foregoing does not constitute legal advice]


[Edited by iBusinessLawyer on 03-03-2001 at 11:58 PM]

Jon.

That's suprised me too actually. If what that person said is correct, then there's no reason I couldn't go buy a ton of stock from them, and then give it away from my website. For that matter set up a cart and start to sell it all. :)

Were it me, I'd send them another email asking for clarification on that point.

Greg Moore

I also sent them a nastygram. I'll help to pass the word.

<scratch> you both are hosted on the same company. Why don't you just send up a E-mail and explain to the provider your situation and see what they say about it.

Originally posted by akashik
Farmingville, NY 11738
Phone: 516-696-8386

Did you try that number? It's got a different area code to the one on the website...Farmingville's in Suffok County on Long Island. The area code in Suffolk changed from 516 to 631 some months ago, so the one on the site is the correct one.

JayC,

Thanks for clearing that up. Has there been a huge change in area codes in the states lately? My fiancee is around Seattle and they had much they same thing a while ago - you can't get too much further from NY than that :)

Greg Moore

I finally got hold of the owner Siri just now on the phone. I stated that he was using my images. His reply: so what does it matter? it is just a test.

Huh he has actually changed the site since I last saw it!

He reckons he will take the images off. I guess that is a start. I said to him, are you new to the internet. Would you like me to design a site for you? his reply: I don't want to talk about it at the moment! then he hung up.

I guess if he just removes the images it would be a start!

Thanks for your posting guys!


Newbie
Junior Guru Wannabe

Registered: Jan 2001
Posts: 95
<scratch> you both are hosted on the same company. Why don't you just send up a E-mail and explain to the provider your situation and see what they say about it.

In response to your post Newbie. I actually contacted my host first. And they said that he had nothing to do with them! I think my host might be trying to save 2 clients !!

Urch

Originally posted by akashik
Has there been a huge change in area codes in the states lately?Not one big, coordinated change; but there have been a lot of new area codes added as the number of available phone numbers has decreased. It's done in one of a few different ways, and in this case they just changed the area code in one of the two counties that used to be 516 -- so you keep your number but get a new area code. Sometimes they just start assigning new numbers to a new area code, with the result that you might have a different area code than your neighbor or even than a different phone line in your own house.

JayC,

sounds very much like the WA area too in regards to come crazy phone number area codes (different ones for the same house etc) Only in america :)

urch,

Glad to hear it got sorted out. Not a great response I know but if this guy changes his page then the battle is one. It's hard to keep people's hand off your work these days - just because it's online people assume it's free. I mean you wouldn't open a burger place with two 'golden arches' and a clown with big shoes in the 'real' world :)

Greg Moore

Keep after this guy, Urch. Sounds like you are getting through to him. :)

I see that he has password protected his directory!

Urch

urch,

that's great news :) First off it means he out of the game for a while. Secondly it usually means a new site is going up in it's place (though a good designer would be able to put a new one up live *chuckle*), hence the lockdown.

Keep an eye on it and let us know when the new site is up.. Maybe they'll have knocked off someone else *lol*

Greg Moore

Oh i know how it can be to have somebody steal your work, first you should direct him to this thread, and then let him know that a really bad group of people to piss off is the people at webhostingtalk.com since they will be the ones who throw most of the business and can effect wiether he has clients or not.

**Winks if you really want go get evil on him, he has a few security holes i noticed... :-)

http://www.vadon.com/

Well there's a new page up now... The hosting page doesn't look a whole lot different. A few background different colors...

Greg Moore

Thanks Greg.

Yeah what a prick. I rang him again and asked him about the images and he says he does not know what Iam taking about. He got abusive and then fobbed me off as a prank caller!

It almost seems a waste of breath on this guy.

Urch

Well, his attempted theft really sucks donkey, so I wouldn't sweat it. Take some joy in knowing that if someone every searches for that host here, they will find this thread :)

Chooken makes a good point. :)

In the past 6 months or so I've been here the traffic level of people that have come and gone has increased a great deal. It's fast becoming one of those "First Point Of Call"'s when people look for a host. This thread alone should make enough of a difference in his business you'll be able to *grin smugly* to yourself for quite a while.

If someone is ready to go out of their way to strip a site for it's design, they can hardly be trusted with anyone's livelihood.

Greg Moore