# Laws on website domain names



## Guest (Jul 2, 2012)

I'll keep this short...

Basically the detailing business I had from 2010-2011 cease trading in late 2011 due to house commitments. I had a business partner before I started up and we manually done a website. After a falling out, I went for it solo and started it up myself. My business partner had passwords to manually do the website but after we fell out I done a quick one through the same company... Streamline.net. My contract is up in 3 weeks time for this site which is not public now as I phoned late 2011 to not publish it. 

My concern...

I typed my business into Google to find my old business partner had done his dads website which is driving instruction. His web address was there but said my company name as the header. I know he is using the old manual website we done and is changing it to his dads business but is he being cheeky and using it for traffic/advertisement? My website isn't displayed on Google now as mentioned but want to know if he's being cheeky here and because I technically still own the name till 3 weeks from today, is this copyright? 

Any questions just ask as it's a confusing subject to type online. Would appreciate any help on this as it's really frustrating me as I put so many hours in years ago getting traffic to my detailing business. 

Aaron


----------



## OvlovMike (Jul 19, 2011)

So you/your business hold the rights to the domain name? Do a WHOIS to confirm this. If you or your business (of which you must be a director) do not personally hold title to the domain name then you don't have many options, as if it's all in his name he can put pornographic images on there and there's very little you can do.


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2012)

I was registered to the domain name but I thought that would be the case. Is just very frustrating as you can imagine.


----------



## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

Some of your language is a bit hard to decipher in terms when you talk about, specially around companies and addresses.

It all comes down to what you agreed as part of your company. If its owned by the company and you have 50/50 ownership in the company then you both have 50/50 rights to the name.

I suspect it was all done informally with very little paperwork and so it comes down to whos name is on the WHOIS database as to who the owner is. In this instance you still own it and the best you can probably do is try to get the account disabled.


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2012)

My language is hard to decipher?

WHOIS - it's under my name and always has been. It's under my old address too. The account on Streamline.net is disabled but I can still log in to the control panel until 17th July 2012. He probably has a seperate account under his name but has just linked the html address so my name comes up on the header title on google. I did phone him in regards to this and says he will change it but that was weeks ago. just don't want him or his dad get the advertisement through my previous efforts. (As harsh as that does sound.)

I'm unfamilar in the codes of html and manually doing a website hense just trying to get some advice on my actions I can address to him. I know my business name will be available from 17th July 2012, so if he goes and uses it to get more traffic to his fathers business page, there isn't much I can do. Just needed to know the legalbility of the situation. 

Thanks for both your advice so far


----------



## init6 (Mar 28, 2012)

I found it a bit hard to follow too, but think I have the hang of it now. So to summarise:

You and your partner had a company let's call it OurJointCompany. You set up a website called OurJointCompany.co.uk

You went your separate ways.

You bought another website called MyNewCompany.co.uk

Your partner still has OurJointCompany.co.uk, but this now displays information about your ex-partner's Dad's company.

Is the above correct?

Or

Does your ex-partner now have a new website called MyDadscompany.co.uk that has information on the pages, possibly the title, referring to your company?


----------



## eatcustard (May 4, 2011)

what is the name of website?


----------



## tomah (Sep 17, 2010)

Is the account at Streamline for hosting, or did you buy the domain name through them?

If it's hosting, where did you buy the domain?

If it's both, contact them and ask them about moving the domain to another domain registrar like NameCheap to see what they say.


----------



## cts1975 (Feb 22, 2011)

Is it possible your exfriend has designed a new website for his dad using the old website template & hosting and forgot to change the title tags to match his dads new business name?

Or am i miles off on this ?


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2012)

cts1975 said:


> Is it possible your exfriend has designed a new website for his dad using the old website template & hosting and forgot to change the title tags to match his dads new business name?
> 
> Or am i miles off on this ?


This is bang on. Sorry folks about the difficulty to understand as its hard to type the real life situation. I believe he's got a new website but from the same host and same original template he thought was so 'awesome'.


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2012)

init6 said:


> I found it a bit hard to follow too, but think I have the hang of it now. So to summarise:
> 
> You and your partner had a company let's call it OurJointCompany. You set up a website called OurJointCompany.co.uk
> 
> ...


When we went our separate ways I redone the website we had but choose a template rather than continue manually through his design. Yes, he started a new website up for husband fathers driving tuition school and when you Google it or my old website, it comes up in his header, my business name. If you click on it, it comes up 'page cannot be displayed' as I'm guessing he's working on it. I think he's not changed some code in his website and I know he's using the ORIGINAL design that I left and restarted another. All on the same server.

In regards to what company mine or his is... I would rather not disclose this information just now.

It's confusing I know and I hope I'm describing it as best as possible


----------



## init6 (Mar 28, 2012)

Ok, got it now. I doubt he's using this as advertising. Sounds like he just doesn't know how to change it. Looks like Streamline provide an easy website builder. There must be an option in there to change the name.

If he doesn't know how to do it, then I suggest you contact Streamline and ask them how to do this. 

If he doesn't change it after that, tell him you are going to get his site taken offline via Streamline. A strongly worded 'cease and desist' letter should be enough to get him moving.


----------

