I Let a Site Drop - Now Someone Else is Using the Content

[VSC]

Hi,

Need some advice here.

I purposely let a domain with a site on it drop as there were no takers and I no longer wanted it.

Now I find that the person who picked it up is reusing all the content on his site.

So the question ... do I still retain the copyright even though I let the domain lapse?

Thanks for your replies.

 

[Rob_F]

Hi,

Need some advice here.

I purposely let a domain with a site on it drop as there were no takers and I no longer wanted it.

Now I find that the person who picked it up is reusing all the content on his site.

So the question ... do I still retain the copyright even though I let the domain lapse?

Thanks for your replies.

Absolutely, yes.

- Rob

 

[rob]

I have seen a few do this, and its basically theft. Whats worse is I have seen a few being sold on here over the years!

Whats the URL?

 

[Edwin]

Yes, definitely. Copyright generally lasts for 70 years after the last remaining author of a written work dies.
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law

The sad thing is that I've OPENLY seen a strategy of "just reuse the old site content from archive.org" advocated on various forums. Some people have less than zero respect for this sort of thing!

 

[viceroy]

After reading about this strategy on another forum, I did this exact thing - it was when I was first starting out, and was one of many, many mistakes that i made back in the day, thankfully Acorn provided me with a bit of rough guidance You do indeed keep copyright of the content, provided it's been scraped like-for-like I believe...

 

[VSC]

Thanks everyone.

I know what action to take now.

 

[rob]

Send them a licence bill for what you would usually charge

 

[anthony]

This depends on how much it irritates you that they're using the dropped content. Are you really determined to prove your point, and back it up legally? Possibly not. If the content were on another address, you may not have even picked up on it.

 

[Edwin]

If it's been pinched by a relatively "real" organisation i.e. a UK company you can trace, with assets, then it may be worth getting an IP lawyer involved to try and claim damages. If it looks like it's just some idiotic spotty teenager in their bedroom (or somebody in a foreign jurisdiction) then send a DMCA or similar notice to their hosting company.

 

[VSC]

This depends on how much it irritates you that they're using the dropped content. Are you really determined to prove your point, and back it up legally? Possibly not. If the content were on another address, you may not have even picked up on it.

Theft is theft.

 

[anthony]

Theft is theft.

Obviously, but does that mean you're going to take action against him/her?

 

[VSC]

Obviously, but does that mean you're going to take action against him/her?

Contact them.

Explain politely that what they are doing is actually copyright theft.

Offer two options, come to an agreement for a payment for the content; take it all down.

If they don't reply; or don't pay; don't take it down, file a copyright infringement claim with their web host who will take down their site.

If people come to me and ask "can we use this content from your old site", I'm always reasonable - I just want my costs covered.

I get annoyed when people just take stuff.

Whether I take action depends on how busy I am, what has been taken, who they are.

 

[vizzo]

Let us know how it goes

 

[viceroy]

Changing tack slightly... I sold a fishing reel on e*ay the other day and it has since been relisted with my exact same listing and the two pictures that I listed it with! I can't believe it!