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Why Do The Various Copyright Pre-Settlement Lawsuit Factories Keep Copying Each Other?
from the that-design-looks-familiar dept
Earlier this year we noted, with some amusement, that the US Copyright Group (the biggest name among the recent glut of copyright pre-settlement shakedown letter factories popping up all over the country) had apparently copied the code for its settlement website from a competitor, the Copyright Enforcement Agency (even leaving in the phone number). And, of course, we've also noted that the US Copyright Group is now involved in a lawsuit after threatening to sue competitor Media Copyright Group, for being too similar.
Now, a reader who goes by the name Mr. Piracy Reporter, notes that yet another new pre-settlement lawsuit factory, going by the name of the Copyright Defense Agency, appears to have created a very, very similar website to that of the Copyright Enforcement Agency (the same company that USCG was accused of copying. You can see the images below:
Now, it's true that they're not exactly the same, but it certainly looks like one site pointed their designer towards the other's and said "make it look like that." Either that or the design firm they hired just went looking for a similar site to mimic. I especially like how both have similar, but not identical, graphics on the right-hand side, including the globe with the arrow (what does that even mean?). Of course, such copying almost certainly is not illegal, but for organizations trying to convince the world that they're all about preventing unauthorized copying, it does seem amusing to note just how much copying of each other they seem to do.
Now, a reader who goes by the name Mr. Piracy Reporter, notes that yet another new pre-settlement lawsuit factory, going by the name of the Copyright Defense Agency, appears to have created a very, very similar website to that of the Copyright Enforcement Agency (the same company that USCG was accused of copying. You can see the images below:
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It may not be that nefarious
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Huh?
Especially from a group that's copying each other's "legalese" documentation.
By the way... those sites look suspiciously like something I developed in 2005.
*readies copyright lawsuit
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It looks like ..
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I work for a company that offers web design services (among other things) and you'd be surprised how many people will just give us a list of URLs (it's usually not much of a list, either -- usually they only give us one or two) when we ask them what they want it to look like. We try to make inspire our design on the other site without making them look similar at all, but nine times out of ten our customers aren't satisfied until we make the sites look almost the same.
Long story short: color me unsurprised.
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Re: It may not be that nefarious
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Re: It may not be that nefarious
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Globe with arrow
On the CEG page next to that image, it says 'Web Collect' - so someone obviously wanted an image that involved the 'world' wide web (for those that remember when the Internet was referred to by that name).
How a globe with an arrow relates to 'Recovery Specialists' - I'm totally lost on that.
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Re: Globe with arrow
Enlighten me, when was the internet referred to as the world wide web?
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Perfect example of copying
Copying, bad for pre-settlement factories, good for innovation. WTF?
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Re: Perfect example of copying
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It is worse than that -- the armorial logo looks almost exactly copied from somewhere else!
The armorial bearings (coat of arms) in the top left are those of the old East India Company no less! -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company -- Copying that is maybe not decent and honourable given the intent of heraldry, but probably legal.
But perhaps awkwardly for 'Copyright Defense Agency' those arms are currently owned as a trademark of a company now trading in London. Furthermore, that new company claims -- as normal -- copyright for all things on their website, and the image of the arms used by CDA looks remarkably similar to the one on the EIC website.
Have a look: http://www.theeastindiacompany.com/24/the-company-coat-of-arms
or http://www.theeastindiacompany.com and click on the 2nd box in the top row.
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Re: Re: Globe with arrow
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Re: Re: Perfect example of copying
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Re: Re: Re: Globe with arrow
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Re: Re: Re: Perfect example of copying
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Perfect example of copying
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Re: Re: Re: Perfect example of copying
Um, wow, that's dumb.
1. I never said that you shouldn't be able to copy websites. I just pointed out the irony of companies who claim they're pro-copyright and anti-coyping who then copy. It sorta shows that copying is natural. Which was the point. I wasn't condemning the act, just the hypocrisy.
2. I have never said that straight up copying drives innovation. Lies will get you nowhere. What I have said is that being able to *build on* the works of others does help innovation, by letting you make something better.
Willful lying about my position is just sad.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Perfect example of copying
From http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100826/09354110786.shtml:
"Of course, the traditionalists will be horrified at this sort of blatant "copying," but these kinds of "mashups," while certainly not legal, are actually an interesting way to experiment and potentially innovate"
Right there you say that blatant copying is potential innovation. Like I said, everything the same is not innovation. I did not get it wrong by leaving out the word 'potential'. You really think that blatant copies are good for innovation and that really is sad.
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there's new under the sun
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Maybe it's just me.......
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Perfect example of copying
Ah, reading comprehension fail. Put that text back in context. I did not say straight up copying. Note the "copying" is in quotations, because that whole story is not about straight up copying, but about companies building on the works of others to build something better (like iPhones running Android).
Like I said, everything the same is not innovation.
And that article had nothing to do with everything being the same, as I pointed out to you and is clear upon reading the article. Oddly, you seem unable to comprehend this.
I did not get it wrong by leaving out the word 'potential'.
You got it wrong by being so incredibly wrong.
You really think that blatant copies are good for innovation and that really is sad.
I have said no such thing, but, willfully lying is amusing.
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they have a new site
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