Someone has lifted everything from our website...advice

[Lordbenny]

We bought an existing business a few months ago which included a website which we have spent a lot of time and effort getting right. The business is going well and we're happy that our hard work is starting to bear fruit. However, today we stumbled across another company offering similar services to ours.....actually it offers OUR SERVICES! Not only that, it has lifted everything from our website, even pictures and testimonials and is using our company name to promote them! This is not a tin pot company, it's a proper legitimate company that is run by a well known award winning business woman with connections to a popular TV show.

What should our first steps be? Speak to themed rectory or get in touch with a solicitor. Anyone else had similar experiences?

[Lordbenny]

Amateurish said:

Timsta said:

There is no need in the UK. Copyright is implicitly granted.

Correct

+1

I am about to send a snotty letter with the threat that if the content isn't taken down within 28 days we will get medieval on their asses! I'll give this woman the benefit of the doubt once and once only that some lazy sod in her company though it ok to do this. Documentation isn't that important at the moment as the infringement is so bleeding obvious...they have used our photographs and our company name to promote their business!

[Lordbenny]

Ok, screen shots have been taken. I presume it's ok to send an e-mail rather than snail mail, I can attach screen shots then?

[Lordbenny]

Hoofy said:

Amateurish said:

Timsta said:

There is no need in the UK. Copyright is implicitly granted.

Correct

That may be so but it doesn't stop someone else copying your site.

No but it makes it illegal to do so!

[Lordbenny]

KFC said:

As usual with anything internet related, there is some pretty awful advice being thrown around.



The content on the website, did you actually create it? Or was it on there when you bought it? If the latter then you need to double check who it was that actually done the stealing. It might have been the person you bought the site from and its you thats in the wrong.

It was definitely created by us...our company has been in existence for years before the robbers! The pictures they are using are in the database of hundreds of pictures we inherited and they are actually using our name. They are a very large events company who cater for every kind of event imaginable whereas we specialise in just two or three events.

I'm not in a position to give links to the two websites although I'd really like to.

[Lordbenny]

Fixed, content has been taken down and they actually apologised!

[Lordbenny]

Firm but not too confrontational emails.