Design ripped.What will you do?

**kooshin.com** · Oct 29, 2006, 12:17

Hello I need your answers and help on this.
Of course as you know it is not the first case that happens. I designed this design back in 2004 for my website and a live version of a sub page is still at this www.kooshin.com/kooshin_articles

Now today as I was checking the stats which the site gets I found out this website http://geocities.com/faruksom/ which seems to be using the design. How can I prove this design is mine ? Well the answer might be a lot simpler than the question might look.

Ok lets say . Try to view the code of the site and see where the url of the css file powering the site is loading from? http://kooshin.com/styles/newstyle.css

And now check the footer and hover your mouse over the about us link and see what it says "About Kooshin.com " Also do the same thing to the rest of the links like Aids Programs which shows "Read Our Acceptable Use Policy and Terms Of Service" and also Khat Programs which shows "Read Our Privacy Policy" tooltip.

The only slight change that is done is the header as it is flash. So guys what do you think? Of course the guy who did this is a guy who knows where am from as I can read from the website and see the links he has that he is from the same country I'm originally from -Somalia - if that matters.

What made me laugh is the text at the bottom of the page that says powered by haluul business solutions. A business solution huh? Wow....

**Dan Schulz** · Oct 29, 2006, 13:22

Ok, this loser is DEFINATELY ripping your design. One way is to have your attorney send him (and his provider - Yahoo Geocities) a cease and desist order demanding that they take down the existing layout and replace it with their own 100% original work, and notify them that failure to comply will result in legal action.

Why would Yahoo Geocities get a copy? They take violations very seriously, and will take action immediately (they might even flat out remove the site from their server).

**tickedon** · Oct 30, 2006, 07:14

Personally, I don't see any need to involve any sort of legal representative - you can do it yourself.

Do a search on DMCA template in Google - the DMCA (Digital Milenium Copyright Act) includes things like this, so find a template, fill in the blanks, and send it off. Will take 30-60 minutes and Geocities are REQUIRED to act on it.

While the DMCA is an American law, it still covers you as Yahoo who are hosting the material are based in America.

**Shyflower** · Oct 30, 2006, 07:20

I have several times written hosting companies on behalf of clients with this problem. Generally the host takes the site down immediately. I imagine Yahoo-Geo Cities would as well, although I don't have any experience specifically with them.

You don't need a DMCA or a lawyer to write them a letter, especially since the site is apparently not only stealing your template but hot linking to your css file.

**Robert Warren** · Oct 30, 2006, 10:43

I'm gonna agree with Shy on this one. It's an open-and-shut, obvious case - the folks over at Yahoo don't need a formal DMCA complaint or lawyer action letter; they know the score. Just contact them and explain things. Actions will be taken.

In the unlikely case that they aren't, that's when you send the DMCA complaint.

**El Camino** · Oct 30, 2006, 12:34

Change the name of the style sheet you use on your site then screw up the one he is pulling. Be creative.

**Rob_D** · Oct 30, 2006, 12:36

Originally Posted by El Camino

Change the name of the style sheet you use on your site then screw up the one he is pulling. Be creative.

Then all they would need to do is go to the original site to pull the new one, save it and put it on their site... It's a great idea though.

**kooshin.com** · Oct 31, 2006, 08:35

thank you very much. I sent them an email to their copyright section.As for web archive here it is http://web.archive.org/web/200501291...//kooshin.com/ . What do you think?

**Shyflower** · Oct 31, 2006, 10:50

I hope you sent the email to yahoo and not to the web site. Generally webmasters will just ignore your message or change the site for a week or so to make it look like they complied. Web hosts will usually remove the site immediately and completely.

**iFroggy** · Oct 31, 2006, 13:56

I'm dealing with someone who just totally ripped our homepage design. It's a laughable situation. He actually contacted me and let me know about it, saying that he paid for the design. We talked about it over IM. He kept telling me how he needs a design and how he doesn't have any other option. He just didn't seem to realize, no matter how much I tried to drill it in, that he is violating my rights and that is the only thing that matters, not what he thinks he needs. And he told me I was "lucky" he reported it.

I was going to tear him a part, but I just ignored it. Gave him a few days to take it down, deadline passed and I went to the host (jaguarpc). The site is still up as I write this, but I expect it'll be taken care of. It's such an open and shut case, it's crazy.

People.

**Dan Schulz** · Oct 31, 2006, 14:07

Which site's layout did he steal?

**iFroggy** · Oct 31, 2006, 14:16

The iFroggy Network homepage design.

**Dan Schulz** · Oct 31, 2006, 14:48

Well, you know what they say about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery... but this sounds like actual downright theft.

**iFroggy** · Nov 1, 2006, 09:32

Yeah, it is.

A little imitation or flattery is fine, but this is just crazy blatant. Lifted our graphics and everything. I just heard back from jaguarpc. He has 24 hours or the site will be taken down.

**Dan Schulz** · Nov 1, 2006, 10:29

Cool.

Off Topic:

*starts the death watch for the thief's Web site and chants "dead site walking, dead site walking here..." *

**irkyo** · Nov 1, 2006, 10:47

it's difficult enough to solve such a problem if somebody rips your design and makes some changes and claims his right to this work. It's a pitty that such situations are very often occurrences. There is a question "how to protect your original design"? I think the answer is not clear currently because I personally hear about such "stealings" very often. Unfortunately.

**.insane** · Nov 1, 2006, 12:48

Well if they plan on rippin your images its quite simple there are tutorials online that show you how to watermark your images so the watermark only shows up when you highlight it.

**iFroggy** · Nov 1, 2006, 13:42

While I was doing some searching, I found a really neat blog.

http://www.plagiarismtoday.com

**Vali** · Nov 1, 2006, 15:33

On a side note:
Your site is down, and the geocities one is up...

**Dan Schulz** · Nov 1, 2006, 17:20

I can see it just fine.

**kooshin.com** · Nov 2, 2006, 09:39

my site? well we are a having a problem which is that in some countries the site is not accessibale-the main one kooshin.com - while the other sites under it or on the same server as working fine. We don't really know what that problem is but it happens sometimes.

I sent the emai to Yahoo's copyright section and didn't send it to the owner of that site.

**kooshin.com** · Nov 4, 2006, 15:35

I got an email from Yahoo after I send them DMCA and they told me that they have taken the action required and now I can see that when you go to http://geocities.com/faruksom/ it says This page is not available. I think they took it offline or something.

**Dan Schulz** · Nov 4, 2006, 15:44

Well that's cool. Be sure to check other free site hosting providers as well over the next few months to make sure they haven't moved it there.

You may also want to keep an eye out for any domain names that are similar to the site title as well.

Glad to hear that things apparently went very well for you. Congrats!

**kooshin.com** · Nov 6, 2006, 05:56

Yeah thanks, well I'll do my best to look around.

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