any comeback for copied meta keywords / descriptions

[Forbairt]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if there is any comeback for copied keywords / descriptions ?

Can you report it to google .. would they listen ?

Its a direct copy and its annoying me at the moment so I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do about it.

James

 

[babyboy808]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if there is any comeback for copied keywords / descriptions ?

Can you report it to google .. would they listen ?

Its a direct copy and its annoying me at the moment so I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do about it.

James

I doubt Google would do anything if it's not content related. What's the site that copied?

 

[Forbairt]

Site is 'hot yoga .ie' I'd prefer not to give any link juice

my site is Galway Hot Yoga


Basically till they started using that my site was ranked above theirs (given its only been online a few weeks I was happy)

While its not the end of the world its kinda annoying as ****

 

[babyboy808]

What I would do is call XSoftware and raise your concerns with the Boss.

 

[link8r]

The meta-description is technically content. Its used by Google to show a summary of what the site is about. Its not used, from their blog, for ranking. So if someone has copied your summary then they've copied your content - I would report it just to find out what Google say. To me its no different than copying your home page or your logo.

There probably isnt a lot you can do apart from name and shame but this is probably someone who is above shameless...sorry its happened.

 

[louie]

you can beat them at this game despite the fact they play "dirty".

What were the keywords/phrase for G ranking?

 

[mneylon]

I think there have been a few court cases about people abusing meta content in the past

 

[Forbairt]

The meta-description is technically content. Its used by Google to show a summary of what the site is about. Its not used, from their blog, for ranking. So if someone has copied your summary then they've copied your content - I would report it just to find out what Google say. To me its no different than copying your home page or your logo.

There probably isnt a lot you can do apart from name and shame but this is probably someone who is above shameless...sorry its happened.

I've gone this route and reported it. Its not a case of they wrote something similar. Its a case that they copied it word for word.

you can beat them at this game despite the fact they play "dirty".

What were the keywords/phrase for G ranking?

I'm not too worried about beating them TBH. "My" site is relatively new. As such its still early days. But until they copied that meta I was ranking above them for a few terms "Galway Hot Yoga"

I think there have been a few court cases about people abusing meta content in the past

Interesting but probably more hastle than its worth

 

[raul]

I think I've told you this on PM but it looks that this meta tag thieves are after your friend business. Considering the fact that they registered the same domain in .com shows no shame on their part so , as Link8r said, naming and shaming this Google Cheaters probably won't help.

still a good ideea to send them a polite email just to see what they have to say about this issue...

My 2c,
Regards.

 

[MrFlicks]

Try sending a Cease & desist like the following (bare in mind all proprietry work is auto copyright online)

Dear Sir

We are the proprietors of all copyright in a
literary/artistic/musical work entitled "your name" (The Copyright Name "Work"). We have reserved all rights in the Work, which was first expressed in material form on 00/00/00.

It has come to our attention that your work entitled domain.com is in breach to our copyrighted Work. Permission was neither asked nor granted to reproduce our Work and your Work therefore constitutes infringement of our rights. In terms of the Copyright

Laws & Statutes, we are entitled to an injunction against your continued infringement, as well as to recover damages from you for the loss we have suffered as a result of your infringing conduct.In the circumstances, we demand that you immediately:

1. remove all infringing content and notify us in writing that you have done so

;2. pay a licensing fee in the amount of £(Euro)0000;

3; immediately cease the use and distribution of copyrighted material;

4 deliver-up for destruction all unused or undistributed copies;

5. undertake in writing to desist from using any of our copyrighted Work in future without prior written authority from us.

We await to see action from you by no later than close of business on 00th June 2009

If the copyright infringing use of the author "your names" name on your site is not removed by that date you will be contacted by our legal representatives.

Name Managing Director
Company

 

[Kieran]

I know we exchanged tweets on this but looking at the site yours is far better which I know is small comfort. I hate the style they have and I would immediately hit back due to the font size and the overcomplicated graphics.

Sorry to hear it has happened.

 

[Forbairt]

Unfortunately I don't have time right now to answer this properly

I was contacted by Tracy ? (spelling) last night regarding this post. She admitted in the phone call to copying the keywords and descriptions word for word

I was contacted outside of office hours while I was trying to relax maybe a fault of having a mobile number on the site but such is the nature of my business.

To be honest I don't know exactly what the issues she is having with Galway Hot Yoga Ltd.

She has a registered business name Hot Yoga (twice for some reason having checked the CRO) ... He has a Limited Company Galway Hot Yoga ... details for this are mentioned on the site along with the Company Registrations Number which I believe is law in ireland if you are running a business you must include these details which I don't believe ye do ? The site is new and content for it is being updated I have also today been asked to update the qualifications on the site as well as a number of other things I've only got the record of the emails to prove this.

Bikram's Yoga, also known as Hot Yoga, or "Fire Yoga" is a style of yoga developed by ....

I took that from a wikipedia entry so I'm a bit confused as to your ownership of the term do you have the term trademarked and if so can you point me at the relevant information ?

Galway ... well I'm from galway ... so I didn't know one couldn't use the term

From my point of view I was approached by Galway Hot Yoga Ltd. a private limited company with a view to designing a site and doing some seo work on it.

Legal issues that are going on between Hot Yoga and Galway Hot Yoga Ltd. are between those two companies

The keywords and descriptions used are indeed copied word-for-word (no apologies), they accurately reflect the business hotyoga.ie and will not be changed. As regards registering galwayhotyoga.com, hotyogagalway.ie and hotyogagalway.com are also registered – these domains accurately represent an established business name and its location.

Here you are admitting to to copying content that I generated word for word this would be copyright theft and this is the issue that this post is about.

Tracy your client admitted this on the phone and now you are admitting it as well? I'm finding it madness that ye are admitting so openly to stealing content I've generated. This is theft ??? (maybe someone can correct me on this)

I've had a very busy day with updates on a number of sites and I didn't have a chance to respond to Tracys request for me to remove this post. I will however respond here in an effort to defend my business and my work / copyright

The colours that are used on the website were taken from the logo that I was supplied with .. I also use green on the forbairt website. I've had the forbairt.com domain since 94 and I believe I was always using green on it though I could be wrong.

Elemental colours ... earth / fire / life ... seem to be brown / red / green as I said I was working with the logo I was supplied with. White I found to be quite a nice colour as well so I decided to go with this as well.

Anyways thank you for answering my question as to whether or not I was seeing things and if you had copied it word for word.

 

[nevf]

I know we exchanged tweets on this but looking at the site yours is far better which I know is small comfort. I hate the style they have and I would immediately hit back due to the font size and the overcomplicated graphics.

Sorry to hear it has happened.

Not anymore. Both copying each other.
Bit childish now in all fairness?

If you steal content, then you are not worth the steam of your own piss. Simple as.

 

[Forbairt]

Hotyoga is not a product or a service – it is simply a business name.

No actually:

"Hot Yoga" is the business name 1 registration: 274811
"Hot Yoga" is the business name 1 registration: 280509

They both have the same address which causes me some confusion

There is also a Red Hot Yoga registered as a business name: 376215 is that ye as well ?

Then there is the Limited Company I'm working for.

I checked and hotyoga isn't actually registered

Hot yoga is a form of Bikram yoga yes ? so its a pretty generic term one could also say fire yoga ? ... and it simply refers to the process of being in a hot room and performing various poses ? (I may be naive about this though)

One would guess its like me saying Web Designer its a generic term ... web designer galway ... galway web designer ? or Carpenter.ie ... and galwaycarpenter.ie ? If you market yourself as a generic term erm ... I'm pretty much confused

As for ethics!!! Here’s a question. Should a web developer knowingly use their skills to promote a business that is blatantly using Brand Piracy as a means to promote their business?

I don't investigate my clients .. I see a limited company name and assume they know what they are doing.

Should a web developer steal content "word for word" from another web developer and publicly admit it on a forum ? erm...

My issue is that you have taken something of mine word for word and copied it. What ever issues are ongoing between your client and my client are between them.

I am also not responsible for the written content on the pages though I did alter them slightly as most SEO's would.

Not anymore. Both copying each other.
Bit childish now in all fairness?

If you steal content, then you are not worth the steam of your own piss. Simple as.

I'm honestly failing to see the both bit here maybe I'm too close to it though ?

 

[nevf]

I'm honestly failing to see the both bit here maybe I'm too close to it though ?

Oops.

To rephrase that... "Both websites look the same"

 

[raul]

I cannot say I do not follow this thread with interest. Stealing content is a daily issue in www and I think this thread was about this.

As far as I know ( might be mistaken thou ) the registration of a business name does not protect the name in any way against duplication so anyone can still register ( and trade as ) as many "hot yoga" business names as they want...to make it short an RBN ( or two in this case ) doesn't give you intellectual property rights... content on the other hand ( meta description is considered content isn't it ? ) does...

 

[mneylon]

@Raul - An RBN is pretty much meaningless, as you rightly point out.

If you do a search on the CRO for "mace" or "spar" you'll see what I mean

 

[link8r]

@Raul - An RBN is pretty much meaningless, as you rightly point out.

If you do a search on the CRO for "mace" or "spar" you'll see what I mean

That could be because they're licensed to use the name as its a Franchise model .. but I absolutely agree - while and RBN doesn't give you IPR - it does prevent other people from trading under that name - which is the whole point of having to register it.

 

[mneylon]

it does prevent other people from trading under that name - which is the whole point of having to register it.

No it doesn't and that's not why you register an RBN

Go read about RBNs on the CRO website and it explains it very clearly

 

[raul]

@link8r the only way you can prevent other people trade under the same name is registering a TM.
Like...if you don't TM "primaryposition"...nothing can stop me to register another "primaryposition" business name and trade under it.... Funny - but true.