Copyright theft by UK based website - any thoughts on action
Discussion
I have discovered that a website based in the UK which directly competes with me and the person running it would appear to be from China, they been stealing my bandwidth and using the images I paid for from one of our very own PHrs.
What should I do besides getting them pulled from eBay and their host providers?
I've got their full address details and name, and I've also changed my pictures to include my site name and a copyright sign. I have used a site scraper to download a copy of their entire website and the amount to copyright theft going on by this website, just has to be seen to be believed - they are linking to an unbelievable number of UK based companies. It is wholesale stealing of not just pictures, but the intellectual property of at least another 13 (and rising) companies.
This is not just a simple operation they are selling literally 100's of dresses a week. Is this something customs and excise should be investigating? Is it purely a civil matter or is there an organisation similar to FACT/FAST (computer industry copyright people)
What should I do besides getting them pulled from eBay and their host providers?
I've got their full address details and name, and I've also changed my pictures to include my site name and a copyright sign. I have used a site scraper to download a copy of their entire website and the amount to copyright theft going on by this website, just has to be seen to be believed - they are linking to an unbelievable number of UK based companies. It is wholesale stealing of not just pictures, but the intellectual property of at least another 13 (and rising) companies.
This is not just a simple operation they are selling literally 100's of dresses a week. Is this something customs and excise should be investigating? Is it purely a civil matter or is there an organisation similar to FACT/FAST (computer industry copyright people)
If they are hotlinking images you can have so much fun!
Create a few images with very rude messages on them about how much of a scamming t
t they are. Then upload rude images (moving original images to a new name and updating your own site) onto your webserver.
Look at their site now, it will be littered with offensive and highly amusing images
Create a few images with very rude messages on them about how much of a scamming t
t they are. Then upload rude images (moving original images to a new name and updating your own site) onto your webserver. Look at their site now, it will be littered with offensive and highly amusing images
You mention that they are stealing your bandwidth. so I assume they are just linking through to your images?
There is not a lot you can legally do (if anything) to stop people using hyperlinks - that is what the web it for.
What you can do though quite easily is serve your images via a script that checks the domain name of the server that is making the request. If it your server making the request serve the correct image. If it is someone else's web server simply display a default image with something like:
"this theiving is grabbing stuff from my website" 
There is not a lot you can legally do (if anything) to stop people using hyperlinks - that is what the web it for.
What you can do though quite easily is serve your images via a script that checks the domain name of the server that is making the request. If it your server making the request serve the correct image. If it is someone else's web server simply display a default image with something like:
"this theiving
is grabbing stuff from my website" no idea of what legal steps you can take, but you could inform all the other companies whose intellectual property is being nicked. Perhaps one of them already has experience of dealing with this type of problem?
Also, from a technical point of view, it ought to be possible to set up your site so that it only accepts requests for images when they are requested by one of your own web pages open on someone's browser, thus no other website would be able to distribute links to your images. Whether or not this is easy to implement would depend on how your website works.
What funkygibbon said!
>> Edited by ATG on Tuesday 30th May 11:07
Also, from a technical point of view, it ought to be possible to set up your site so that it only accepts requests for images when they are requested by one of your own web pages open on someone's browser, thus no other website would be able to distribute links to your images. Whether or not this is easy to implement would depend on how your website works.
What funkygibbon said!
>> Edited by ATG on Tuesday 30th May 11:07
Have a look at www.htaccesstools.com/hotlink-protection/ the chances are if your paying for your site to be hosted that the solution there will solve your problem of bandwidth theft.
Copywrite infringment is obviously less of a technical matter.
Is it the case that the dresses they are selling are direct copies of your own or that they are just using your photos. Either way if its on ebay, it wouldn't do any harm to report to them.
Copywrite infringment is obviously less of a technical matter.
Is it the case that the dresses they are selling are direct copies of your own or that they are just using your photos. Either way if its on ebay, it wouldn't do any harm to report to them.
Well I know I've got a process to stop hotlinking on my server options list, it is just that being able to link a picture to a blog, or a chat forum is really rather useful for business and I would not want to stop it, just because this. Guess I'll have to take a lot more notice of my logs in future.
I'll probably change the name of the pictures and have a little fun.
I've contacted Trading Standards (not that they will probably be much use - YEP email back saying they don't get involved - good old UK bureaucracy never ready to nip problems in the bud) and will also contacting the other 35 businesses I've so far identified as having had their copyright and bandwidth stolen.
I'll probably change the name of the pictures and have a little fun.
I've contacted Trading Standards (not that they will probably be much use - YEP email back saying they don't get involved - good old UK bureaucracy never ready to nip problems in the bud) and will also contacting the other 35 businesses I've so far identified as having had their copyright and bandwidth stolen.
thepeoplespal said:
Well I know I've got a process to stop hotlinking on my server options list, it is just that being able to link a picture to a blog, or a chat forum is really rather useful for business and I would not want to stop it, just because this. Guess I'll have to take a lot more notice of my logs in future.
Although I haven't activated hotlink protection on my hosting yet, I did have a nose around and I think you can probably set a list of approved sites from which linking is permitted ie PH etc, so you should still be able to post info up elsewhere.
Rather than just trying to embarass the gits, wouldn't it be better to sneakily change the graphics to refer buyers to your site? Presumably they'll just upload your images onto their site once they figure out what's happening at which point you lose control, so do them as much financial damage and yourself as much financial good as possible in the meantime.
>> Edited by GreenV8S on Tuesday 30th May 13:54
>> Edited by GreenV8S on Tuesday 30th May 13:54
thepeoplespal said:
What should I do besides getting them pulled from eBay and their host providers?
You could take a civil matter against them however you have to prove that you (or your company) have suffered a loss in some way as a result of their action. Identifying your IPR with (C) notices is a good start and will help your case if you decide to take it further. Get your self a solicitor who specialises in IPR. It is worth paying good money for one or you will be wasting your time.
thepeoplespal said:
I've got their full address details and name, and I've also changed my pictures to include my site name and a copyright sign. I have used a site scraper to download a copy of their entire website and the amount to copyright theft going on by this website, just has to be seen to be believed - they are linking to an unbelievable number of UK based companies. It is wholesale stealing of not just pictures, but the intellectual property of at least another 13 (and rising) companies.
It sounds like you could club together and take out a joint writ?
BTW, copying their whole site could also be construed as IPR theft!
thepeoplespal said:
Is this something customs and excise should be investigating? Is it purely a civil matter or is there an organisation similar to FACT/FAST (computer industry copyright people)
You could try trading standards? If they are passing themselves off as being part of your company / organisation then there is a argument that they are miss-selling.
In reality getting the site pulled / thrown off ebay / uploading different pictures is about as far as it is worth going.
Regards,
Richard.
_dobbo_ said:
All good advice if you were dealing with a UK based company or person, but protecting your IP or copyrighted material in China is going to be a non starter.
I quite agree. I nearly put this down myself but the words...
thepeoplespal said:
I have discovered that a website based in the UK
...lead me to believe that they have a sporting chance going through the UK courts.
Regards,
Richard.
Have a look at this site:
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx/M
Can you notice anything not quite right?
(I did consider changing the pic to some really obscene porn, but decided a simple graphic calling them a bunch of thieves was better)
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx/M
Can you notice anything not quite right?
(I did consider changing the pic to some really obscene porn, but decided a simple graphic calling them a bunch of thieves was better
)
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