I love how so many of them are just saturated with buzzwords and typical empty suit jargon. I guess stupidity and lack of ethics go hand in hand.
I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
21–30 of 289 posts
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#22Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? Pehaps you could reference these guys on your site as evidence of love for your design chops :) Incidently - did you check whether these are individul copies or multiple clones by one person/organisation? Anyway, if assets are being hotlinked you could have some fun...
Exactly. It's a really nice layout, but honestly -- should the essence here (full page photo, small menu at top right, logo at top left, Title/quote in middle with "more info" button) really be "protectable" IP? I just don't see it, sorry. That doesn't make those designers (or probably just one) honorable or talented or honest. But they have the right to clone layouts too.
It's definitely IP theft, down to the minute details like the red underline on links. The way the images uncover the footer on the bottom is really unique too.
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#23Make a premium WordPress theme based on this design, slap a price on it, and distribute through WordPress theme sites thereby creating an additional income stream for your company. I'm in Miami and I'd be happy to help.
+1 on this. Also you will receive a lot inbound links.
Be fast on this because someone else could be doing this right now...
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#24wow, some of those copies were just blantant. Is there a way to embed a specific string in the website (either through html or css) so later you can somehow google search anyone is copying you?
Given that they might not have very good CSS skill, you might embed a CSS comment or CSS properties which look like they do something but don't -- a would-be stealer probably wouldn't delete something which they didn't understand.
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#25Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? Pehaps you could reference these guys on your site as evidence of love for your design chops :) Incidently - did you check whether these are individul copies or multiple clones by one person/organisation? Anyway, if assets are being hotlinked you could have some fun...
Exactly. It's a really nice layout, but honestly -- should the essence here (full page photo, small menu at top right, logo at top left, Title/quote in middle with "more info" button) really be "protectable" IP? I just don't see it, sorry. That doesn't make those designers (or probably just one) honorable or talented or honest. But they have the right to clone layouts too.
He mentions that he found the sites due to getting odd values from google analytics, which makes me suspect that they copied the (copyrightable) page markup. That said, I agree with the comment that just selling a WordPress layout is probably going to provide him with the best outcome.
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#26I love how so many of them are just saturated with buzzwords and typical empty suit jargon. I guess stupidity and lack of ethics go hand in hand.
One actually gives birth to the other...
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#27We had a similar problem with a talentless rogue designer at my old agency.
It only became clear he had blatantly copied other sites after he left, unfortunately (he was also sacked from future jobs for the same thing, I suspect).
He even had the audacity to claim an award for one of his rip-offs, including attending the vegas ceremony (IIRC). I really don't know how he slept at night.
I'm not going to name names as this was a long time ago and I'm hoping he's changed his ways.
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#28Oh calm down. You had a good idea and started a trend. Don't whine about copiers - you're the source of great ideas, so come up with another one. That, or be the best at implementing this idea.
There's a difference between taking influence from a site and downright stealing and even hot-linking assets.
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#29Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? Pehaps you could reference these guys on your site as evidence of love for your design chops :) Incidently - did you check whether these are individul copies or multiple clones by one person/organisation? Anyway, if assets are being hotlinked you could have some fun...
Exactly. It's a really nice layout, but honestly -- should the essence here (full page photo, small menu at top right, logo at top left, Title/quote in middle with "more info" button) really be "protectable" IP? I just don't see it, sorry. That doesn't make those designers (or probably just one) honorable or talented or honest. But they have the right to clone layouts too.
I don't think you looked hard enough, there was plenty of code taken vertabim if you look at the source.
Re: I’m Tired Of Companies Ripping off our site, So I’m Calling Them Out
#30The propeller site I'd consider flattering imitation, at least they are in a totally different lob :) For the other guys, talk to a lawyer or just someone who knows "legalese" well enough to formulate a serious sounding email complaining about copyright infringement and threatening with a lawsuit. And have someone with a title of "copyright lawyer" or "IP legal consultant"or anything along the lines co-sign that emai…
smacontech and smipropellers seem to be from India where you can't win a legal case without bribing the authorities heaviliy, unless your father himself is the head of cops or something.
And anyway, law enforcement depts there wouldn't understand what "copying the layout of a website" means.