Legal Question in Technology Law in Washington
Charging for accessing my website
I have a website that is charging a monthly fee to find people names
(Genelogy) and it is redirecting people to my website.
Which I don't charge for.
Is there a law that says they can't do that?
I don't think it is fair that they are charging people and putting a strain
and a lot more hits on my site, and their people are asking me questions
about them and how they do things. I have asked them to take my links down
and they have refused.
Just wondering if there is anything I can do.
3 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Charging for accessing my website
Sounds like they are within their rights. They are not much different than a phonebook service or a detective. They charge for the service of finding links for people who are willing to pay to have someone else do the legwork. I am surprised that you are objecting to more hits on your website. That is a problem most people wish they had. Why not put up a FAQ page noting that you are not them and providing whatever information about them you feel comfortable giving?
Re: Charging for accessing my website
If you have trademark rights in your domain name, you can stop someone else from making commercial use of your trademark in interstate commerce, pursuant to the Lanham Act.
Re: Charging for accessing my website
Litigation is expensive so it is probably not worth it to enforce your rights through legal means. You might talk to your web host about refusing all requests that are referred from the server where the offending link is stored.
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