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Bringing Down A Copycat Site
Nigel Cross wrote in with an interesting story from the world of software fraud. Cross writes "I found a copycat site fraudulently selling my own software and kept a record of the steps it took to bring him down."
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I will give him the benifit of the doubt though. Even if i get flamed for it.
Yes his software does make it easy to send email messages to alot of people, but there are uses other than spam for that. Not everyone knows how to use or knows about open source mailing list software. For novices, guis are good.
Just browsing his site and forums, it doesnt appear that he intents this software to be used by spammers. Though the name really sucks.
Used by spammers? maybe.. but i dont think it would give you great performance as other software will.
In America we are imprisoned by our fear of them.
I didn't actually take a stance on the (im)morality of copyright violation in my previous post. I didn't say "just _a_ simple copyright violation" but rather "just simple copyright violation", meaning not only copyright violation.
For the record MailList King is more about managing a mailing list (handling subscribes, unsubscribes, bounces, double opt-in requests) rather than a bulk mail sender. Sure, like any e-mail software that can handle a lot of addresses it _can_ be used for spamming, but we deliberately do not add the tools that spammers like (random word insertion, obfuscation of headers, etc) so in that respect MailList King is not really spam software.
Nigel Cross
Oops, i was getting ahead of myself. I will correct that momentarily...
I'm thinking Nigel hasn't won yet.
http://www.e-buyonline.com/
Defecation occurs.
the link sends you to a COPY SCAT site.. you really don't want to go there.. save your retinas. i don't know enough about google cache, but it sure ain't what i expected to see considering the other comments. it ain't safe work and not safe for your breakfast either.
regards.
He didn't write those. Take a look at his site. Only MailListKing belongs to him. All the other software was only advertised on the fake fraudulent site. Jees... lay off the poor guy and rtfws...
We actually created it for inhouse use to handle the people that e-mailed us to join our mailing list so they could learn about new releases. We found it so useful that we released it as a product.
I'm sure you voluntarily belong to a lot of mailing lists. Is the software that is used to send those messages spam software?
Nigel Cross
Just browsing his site and forums, it doesnt appear that he intents this software to be used by spammers. Though the name really sucks.
Agreed. This guy deserves the benifit of the doubt on this one.
If you take a look at his other software it is clear that his business is not spam-centric.
Maillist King is no "SpamShoveler 3000" either, as it doesn't have many of the features that I see in the spam I have been regularly receiving.
Also, there are legitimate businesses that send out mailings to customers. There are a couple that I don't mind receiving that tells me about new stuff on the shelves.
So the criticisms are not justified IMHO.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
Look at the guy's site before you spout off. He has a lot of other software, most of it related to graphics. And MailList, like any mailing software, could be used for spamming, but its features seem more designed for (legit) mailings, discussion lists, etc. I don't think it has stealth features, to hide the sender, add chaff to confuse filters, and other such that would mark it as evil by design.
Those all look like they have the shareware free trial version for download; they don't look like they're selling the registered version.
One of the many things I hate. thingsihate.org
Yes. Trademark infringement is generally considered to be more serious by the courts around the world.
The difference is that people are under the impression they are buying from the person who created the software or someone authorised by them.
MailList King is a piece of mailing list software, you know, the kind where you can set up a mailing list for discussion, or use it to send information to your customers. He explains it clearly on his site! Sure, you can probably use it for spam, but that's not the author's fault is it? If MailList King is spamming software, then GNU Mailman from GNU.ORG is too. Can you all see how ridiculous all this spam talk sounds?
If you people had actually bothered to visit the page and read the text, you would have known that the screenshot is of the scammer's site. Yes, those bulk e-mail programs, e-mail addresses for sale, and so on, are all completely unrelated to the author of MailList King software, apart from his program and the content of his site being ripped off by a spammer/scammer (it seems that the scammer has just renamed the software, but he still has the text from the actuall MailList King page on his site).
As far as I can tell, all the evidence so far clearly shows that the MailList King author is not a spammer or involved in such activities. Until someone posts evidence to the contrary, I suggest that you all stop shouting about spammers when the only spammer here is the guy who ripped off Xecute's software. Seriously, people.
One thing I'm disappointed about, though, is that he didn't follow up on this. The site clearly belongs to a spammer, and he rips off other people's sites and software, making money from spamming and scamming. As mentioned above, he simply renamed the mailing list software, but the product page on the scammer's site still shows text taken directly from the original page.
I would have hoped that this spammer/scammer could have been nailed down and kicked off the 'net. Perhaps someone else can pick it up from here and track down the scammer to put an end to his online adventure?
Clever signature text goes here.
Maybe the Slashdot editors could post an update explaining that the screenshot on your site is of the scammer's site, and that mailing lists are actually used a lot by non-spammers? Even the Free Software Foundation has its Mailman mailing list software.
I feel sorry for you, in a way... You've become another "victim" of Slashdot, or at least some of its readers, that don't bother to pay attention before commenting on things.
Clever signature text goes here.
Well goto here and all he did was change th icons and the names a little. Match the previous link with the one in the article.
This SIG pulled due to lack of funding. (This damn war is costing too much!)
Nigel: I don't know if the original story was dealing with "e-buyonline.com", as someone on slashdot already pointed out it appears they just changed the name of your software and altered your logo (if at all):
"http://www.e-buyonline.com/purchase.php"
Some interesting things I've noticed about the domain:
Name: e-buyonline.com [67.18.82.84]
Aliases: www.e-buyonline.com
root@argc:~> g 67.18.82.84 | m
[whois.geektools.com]
OrgName: ThePlanet.com Internet Services, Inc.
Address: 1333 North Stemmons Freeway
Address: Suite 110, Dallas, TX 75207
Phone: 214-782-7800, Fax: 214-782-7801
Inverse DNS: welcome.topakistan.com [67.18.82.84]
ToPakistan.com Registrant Contact:
Welcome.ToPakistan.com
Khalil Ahmad (khalil@paksys.com)
+92.427596659 , Fax: +92.427583039
6-L, 73 Business Center, Shadman
Lahore, PUNJAB 54000 PK
I take it that's where your pak***.net (and also paksys.com is the same company, maps to the same IP address and WHOIS registration data)
WHOIS Administrative Contact:
Ahmad, Khalil khalil@paksys.com
116 Salem Road, North Brunswick, NJ 08902
732-297-8908, Fax: 732-297-8906
They are a U.S. company. The phone number confirms they are paksys software, also a gander at their website shows the same address and phone number. Calling the New Jersey phone number reveals someone with a thick Arab accent announcing "you have reached paksys software..."
They are located INSIDE the U.S., telco exchange shows that prefix (732-297) to be in Franklin Park, NJ.
Their hosting website also shows the same information, their "U.S." address available for visits by appointment only (could be a residence)
https://www.pakhost.com/?sect=0&subsect=40
The State of New Jersey will sell you the company filing information for a nominal fee, it looks like PAK SYS SOFTWARE is listed, their file # is
ID: 0400053874, go to the State of NJ's Business Entity search at
https://accessnet.state.nj.us/GatewayWatchNameS
Start with filing a complaint with the New Jersey state attorney general, this could get you some type of response (though I noticed you're
in New Zealand.
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/
Consumer Complaint form:
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/ocp/ocpform.htm
Franklin Park, NJ is in Somerset county, start at:
http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/
It's true no man is an island, but if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie 'em together, they make a good raft.
e-Campaign
Note how e-buyonline has also ripped the menu from lmhsoft.com.
There's a big difference between majordomo/mailman/ezmlm and software such as MailList King Pro, these open source projects are interactive mailing lists where everyone on the list can participate, where as MailList King Pro and similar software is a one way mailing list (people on the mailing list cant interact with the mailing list).
From the product page: "Discussion Groups: Optionally allow your group members to send to your mailing list"
Clever signature text goes here.
You were looking for this:
www.e-buyonline.com
Sunday you're Thinking Different, Monday you're a huge tool, paying too much and waiting to think like everyone else.
Dude. RTFA. Pakistan. :-)
My project TuxMobil: Linux with Laptops, Notebooks, PDAs, Mobile Phones and Portable Computers has been under the attack of content thieves some times. Therefore I have decided to sign all my pages with a steganographic watermark. Also I often watch out for stolen content using a special search engine, e.g. CopyScape. In case I detect a fraudulent site, I contact the FBI to Report Internet Fraud and the FTC's Consumer Complaints site (this applies only if the thief is located in the U.S.). And I complain to the thief's ISP.
- Immediately(!) purchase the stolen software, using a Mastercard or Visa. The resulting download is evidence, and the purchase itself will be used later. Make every effort to identify who (URL, domain name, contact info, company name, etc.) is actually processing this credit card transaction (hint: it's usually not the kid in Pakistan).
- Notify the contact info of the domain of the infringement. Use a DMCA-compliant notification.
- Notify the next upstream ISP of that domain of same.
- Notify the domain's registrar. Some have TOS which forbid illegal activity.
- Is the bad guy still up? Then start notifying the credit card processor that they have participated in a sale of stolen goods. Use a letter that calmly documents the date of purchase, how you identified the download as a stolen copy of your software, etc.
- When your credit card bill arrives, follow the instructions on the back of the bill to contest that purchase. Inform the credit card company of everything that's happened, including dates and times and copies of correspondence
- Join the ASP. It's a chance to notify fellow software producers that their software is being ripped off along with yours (and increase the pressure on a particular pirate site). It's also a way of supporting an organization that works to support your right to make a living selling software.
The linchpin in this effort is credit card processing. I don't care if you live on a small island that you rule yourself, if you take Mastercard/Visa transactions, you rely on American companies and American law. These giant companies grant smaller companies the right to parcel out merchant accounts, and they can cause non-trivial financial pain for merchant accounts that generate too many complaints for them.The wheels of the law can take much time to grind to a conclusion, and not always in your favor. Visa/Mastercard can issue a $20,000 fine in a much shorter time, and they don't have to consult a jury.
In the Wild West of Internet fraud that involves money flow, Mastercard/Visa is judge, jury, and executioner. Most victims simply don't know enough to bring their case to them, or the amount of fraud would be dropping.
MailList King, like all of the products, was created because i personally had a need to manage the people who were asking to be contacted about new releases of our software (most of our software is viewers and slideshow tools).
Presently our site is bobbing on and off line due to the hits from slashdot, but hopefully this will subside before too long and I can get back to what i do (making shareware).
The fraudulent site in question is now down, due to the efforts of slashdot readers. We are still getting abusive e-mails and threats from him (in fact i see he has even posted to this board), but I expect that too will pass.
Regards
Nigel Cross
Xequte Software
www.xequte.com