Imitation is the best form of flattery...

[Power Lunch Club]

I have just been forward a couple of emails from two of our competitors, who have both been a round a little longer than us and bigger than us....but who have both now decided to a launch a couple of things that we already do as standard...

I am very excited that they are copying us!!! It's the best form of flattery! It means we are doing something right, that they feel they have to copy us.

Have others on the forum came accross other business competitors copying something that they do?

 

[Scottish Business Owner]

Very recently i was alerted to a site who have the domain Scottish Business Forum (.co.uk). Now flattery it aint but is it a deliberate ploy to try and hang off the back of this forum? I'm still not really sure what I think about it.

I think the saying has quite alot of merit but if people essentially steal your idea i'm not sure if flattery is the first word that springs to mind

 

[Former Member 1]

Very recently i was alerted to a site who have the domain Scottish Business Forum (.co.uk). Now flattery it aint but is it a deliberate ploy to try and hang off the back of this forum? I'm still not really sure what I think about it.

I think the saying has quite alot of merit but if people essentially steal your idea i'm not sure if flattery is the first word that springs to mind

Personally I take a VERY dim view of this sort of things and am QUITE happy to set the lawyers on them...

About 18 months ago I came a cross one tosspot trying to hijack the "Clydeside" name. The little scrote was (among other things) offering to make porn videos AND had the cheek to be using something VERY close to my crane logo! When challenged he was of the opinion that I should be HELPING guys like him to get off the ground!

Basically I called every hound I could think off to shut him down. From Trading standards through to Revenue and Customs and even the police with concerns about his porn activities.

I had a look at the 'other' SBF and looking through it I detect a lot of the same writing style appearing under different user names. It looks like a clear case of 'passing off' to me and I know how I'd be dealing with it.

 

[Gordon N]

I had a look at the 'other' SBF and looking through it I detect a lot of the same writing style appearing under different user names. It looks like a clear case of 'passing off' to me and I know how I'd be dealing with it.

I know we are effectively driving traffic to this site but I couldn't resist a wee peek myself. I don't think there is too much to worry about there, not as active and the colour scheme is awful (I couldn't use that for any length of time!).

A agree though, in order to preserve the identity of SBF (this one) something should be done about it.

Regards,

Gordon

 

[TomB]

its a blatant rip off that's what it is.

And unfortunetly that is the internet as soon as people discover something unqiue and popular you can gurantee that by the end of the week there will be dozens of copies.

I remember a story a few years back of a guy trying to fund his way through univeristy, so he set up this page a million dollar challenge and sold pizels of advertising space on the website to raise money. he did his challenge and runs a few businesses now

The Million Dollar Homepage - Own a piece of internet history!

Of course when people saw it was successful every man and his dog has a this website copied.

Just wish i could think of something original

 

[Scottish Business Owner]

I actually contacted the site in question last week and asked for an explanation. Needless to say I haven't received one. It's nice to know people feel the same way as I do so I think I may well take legal advice on this.

My first reaction was this is clearly passing off as well so it might be worth a letter from a solicitor at least.

 

[Scottish Business Owner]

It's certainly longer than they have had theirs and to cap it all one of them has posted and is a member of this site. I'll speak with a solicitor friend first but will contact Crossguard should he not know the answer

 

[Mark]

It was registered on the 24th June, more than 3 months after this site popped up.

, you may want to have a read over the Nominet DRS Policy and see where you might stand in regards to acquiring the domain itself from the owner.

edit: helps if i link it
Policy
edit 2: General overview of what DRS
Dispute Resolution Service

 

[TomB]

i think we should all gang up on them

its pretty poor standards by their account this June person that is running it.

Unfortunetly i just expect these kind of things to happen these days, there are a lot of people out there that will just try and tag onto other peoples success.

And if the recent hack has anything to do with them then that is just utterly pathetic!!

I'm up for helping out anway I can just shout

 

[Scottish Business Owner]

To be honest I think it would be better for me to try and speak with them and explain my issues and see if they are willing to hand over the domain or certainly take the redirection off of it. Failing that I would think a solicitors letter would be the next stage. Mark has very kindly put a link in to the Nominet Dispute Resolution Service. If all other attempts fail then i'll be forced to go down this route.

 

[TomB]

I think you may have a hard fight to get them to hand over the domain.

I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but people that have the lack if integrity to do this kind of thing won't go without a fight.

Got my fingers crossed!!

Have you considered getting the name trademarked?

T

 

[Gordon N]

Failing that there is always the old fashioned way...

...but that involves a white transit van, half a dozen guys and some hockey masks and baseball bats!

Regards,

Gordon

 

[Power Lunch Club]

To be honest I think it would be better for me to try and speak with them and explain my issues and see if they are willing to hand over the domain or certainly take the redirection off of it.

The fact that they even did it shows what type of person you are dealing with. BARSTEWARDS!!

 

[abs]

Very recently i was alerted to a site who have the domain Scottish Business Forum (.co.uk). Now flattery it aint but is it a deliberate ploy to try and hang off the back of this forum? I'm still not really sure what I think about it.

I think the saying has quite alot of merit but if people essentially steal your idea i'm not sure if flattery is the first word that springs to mind

Hi

I checked out this site because someone mentioned the name June. It seems that this site also links to B2B matters small business advice centre. - Powered by vBulletin which I joined just before I joined this forum because it was recommended to me. However, despite sending two emails to June just after I joined, I have never had a reply. Also there is very little activity on the site and a lot of links don't work.
Don't know if this information helps in any way.

Theresia

 

[Former Member 1]

A LOT of so-called business forums exist solely so as their owners can take every opportunity to ram their commercial message down people's throats at every opportunity. Other exist as a platform for 'certain types' SEO activity. Earlier this morning I read (in that 'other place) the advice that one should join a 'shedload' of forums and paste one's 'sig' to all of them. Don't be surprised if taking that advice and joining such disreputable forums improves your access to things like Viagra, fake watches and extensions to your nether regions. Sadly though it'll do little for your business!

Personally, for those reasons, I've found it quite difficult to find forums which are either wholly legitimate or actually worth contributing to. One exception being this one!

It's fairly clear to me that this "June" person is in my opinion basically dishonest. And I justify that by pointing out the deliberate attempt to hijack traffic to another forum which is pathetically transparent in it's agenda. I would love to learn the exact identity of this person. I keep a blacklist of people and companies I won't do business with (for various reasons) and feel her name belongs on that list.

 

[Brian McIntosh]

As far as I know, the June referred to is a part of Computerden near Carnoustie. The B2B link on their site takes you through to their forum offering.

 

[PC]

Well, I'm not going to comment too much on the rights or wrongs of it all because having found it I've registered. Anything to help the business...

This forum has the 'John Lewis' feel to it, their forum has the 'Aldi' feel to it

Our spats are well reasoned and sensible (usually....you know who you both are ),theirs are a little bit 'in your face'


One thing I will say about ComputerDen though - they have a lovely looking website!

 

[PC]

I've just noticed that computerden is listed in the SBF directory and it was listed by June!

 

[stugster]

I wonder if the website is their own work, or if they've just ripped that too.

From Nominet's contract and conditions of registration:
"7.4 by registering or using the domain name in any way, you will not infringe the intellectual property rights (for example, trademarks) of anyone else;"

Uh oh!

http://oami.europa.eu/en/mark/aspects/pdf/4094enCV.pdf

Search engines and trademarks | The Law Gazette

A few interesting reads.

However you look at it, she's obviously just trying to make use of your brand name (trademark),and profit from it. Low low low low low low low.

 

[PC]

There are one or two comments on this thread that could potentially be regarded as libellous or be very close to it.. Careful.