website copied

[andywozhere]

Hi folks,

I recently registered a .ie website and was planning to put up a classified directory as a bit of a business venture. In fact I put up the website, but had not got around to launching it yet due to other commitments (was hoping to launch it at the end of the summer). In the mean time someone has registered the .com version (which I could not originally acquire) and has put up their own classified directory using a logo, which is extremely close to my own and a tag line that is exactly the same bar one word (free). I know the whole concept behind a classified website wasn't exactly new, but I still I feel like I've been copied big time - is there anything I can do? Here are the URLs

irelandads.ie (my site)
irelandads.com (the newer site with a remarkably similar tag line and logo)

 

[Dara]

To me no way have they copied anything you have at all. Sites, logos, and catchphrase all look totally different to me. Can't expect to own a few words that every second site in your niche will use.

 

[Alan]

To me no way have they copied anything you have at all. Sites, logos, and catchphrase all look totally different to me. Can't expect to own a few words that every second site in your niche will use.

Agreed, and the code is certainly different. Very slightly similar logo but not enough to say they carte blanche copied it.

Tagline? Well what else can you put down for a classifieds ads site?

Sorry but don't see it.

Would you consider maybe going for a different name and register the .ie / .com domains together etc?

 

[Dublin Domainer]

I agree with Dara and Alan. The sites don't look the same at all to me. Both contain lists, but as said above what else would you expect from a directory site?

I have to say that I don't think the name is great anyway. When I look at it I see the word 'dads' standing out. If I didn't know what the name was I'd think it was a site about Irish fathers.

 

[andywozhere]

OK fair points. In terms of code and overall look it is not a copy I agree, however I was thinking more in terms of copyright of logo and business name. I mean they must have seen my site before putting theirs up and once I have registered Ireland Ads as a business name don't I have some right to it (in terms of similar businesses)?

In future I'll alway make sure I get .com and .ie together as Alan suggested. Really it is just an enormous pain in the backside as I was quite happy with how my site looked.

 

[Dublin Domainer]

I don't think you have any rights as regards your business name outside Ireland (not talking about trademarks, obviously), and it would probably be a bit ridiculous if you had, because then dotcom owners would have reciprocal rights over whether or not there could be similar Irish domains and the whole thing would be one big mess.

Ideas are not copyright, only content. It's up to you to make your site unique enough to draw the crowds and interesting enough to keep them there once you get them.

Even if it had any impact on the matter, there is no way of proving that the owners of the other site saw yours before putting theirs up. But yes, I think Alan's advice is sound: you should always get as many of the main tlds as possible to protect your site.

 

[andywozhere]

It is not only about TLDs it is about business names in Ireland (the registrar of the .com address is also based in Ireland). My initial reaction was 'WTF' but now I don't have the energy to get worked up about it so I'm in more of an 'oh well' mode now.

 

[cgarvey]

Is your RBN for IrelandAds or IrelandAds.ie? If it's the former, and you can prove that Mr. Jenko is trading, you might have a case, but that would involve expense for you to pursue. Given the nature of your site (a hobby project, by the look of it), I can't see it justifiable to pursue. If you're really going whole hog on the site, and it's not just a hobby / case of "build it and they will come", then the money spent on pursuing it will be no object to you, so contact a solicitor for some proper advice. If the RBN is for the latter, I can't see any case (generic words, in an unmanaged domain). Equally, given that it's a free service, trying to prove that Jenko is trading (in Ireland) would be fun too (but, again, a solicitor is best-placed to answer that).

Also, I wouldn't regard the .com's logo as a logo really (rather, a mere graphical representation of text!). Either way, they don't compare. Nor does the layout.

Bottom line: if it was me (and my interpretation of your work is correct), I'd put a line under it and move on.

 

[andywozhere]

Thanks cgarvey, I think you've read the situation very well and your advice is spot on. The RBN is 'Ireland Ads' and yes it probably was a case of "build it and they will come".

The question now is do I stick with the old domain or completely up and leave and get different name and register the .ie / .com domains together as Alan suggested or stick with irelandads.ie anyways. I think I'll probably stick with irelandads.ie and see how it goes.

 

[cgarvey]

Both would be my guess! I'd keep irelandads.ie for the current registration period anyway (you've nothing to lose), but I'd certainly be trying to come up with a much catchier name.

While having Ireland in the domain name may help SEO, it's cheap and tacky IMO. It also makes even less sense in a .ie domain.

Come up with something more buzzwordy. Maybe use some Irish slang to increase the chances of domain availability. AnyoneBuyingOrSelling.com (you'll probably want to register typos/abbreviations as well; e.g. AnyoneBuyinOrSellin.com) .. or something shorter (but you get my idea).