I am not suprised by this at all, they wish to copy our data also under the flag of protecting us wouldnt trust the pimp firm an inch. He seems to have the moto what is yours is mine and what is mine is mine.. Time the ISPs took off the rose coloured glasses and saw this companies true colours..

see - they can't even rip off someone else's logo without getting it mixed up

sue them for everything they have! tell them that their recently dealings have made the public fear their name and thus yours! bring them downnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

What about the name? I assume good Phorm registered theirs..?

lol this story has made my day!

I'm no legal expert but I reckon Phorm Design have a good case, along with bringing the name into distripute (spl?)

DIE PHORM DIE! (not Design, the crap one)

I wouldn't use that Sheffield company for fear of it being linked with (previously) 121 Media, purely because their branding is so similar. I view the logos to be so similar that it bring an image of a subsidiary company or franchise.

There you have it, proof that they are indeed similar from a customers' perspective. You can now sue them for loss of business, because i'd never, EVER deal with a company I thought REMOTELY linked to Phorm (advertising).

Time for the Sheffield designers to come up with another logo! They don't want to be associated with these lot do they!

work if they do take them to court. With the sheer volume of negative publicity surrounding Phorm (Data Whores), a very-similar logo could be argued as having a negative impact on Phorm Design, and thus leave Phorm Design with a case for damages (lost revenue - potential clients assume that they are connected with Phorm (the Big Bitches) and thus take their business elsewhere).

I've seen court cases succeed on flimsier grounds than that!

Phorm's entire business plan is based on co-opting everyone else's work. Hi-jacking your corporate symbol from the mass of 'free content' that is the Internet is entirely appropriate.

however, even though I want to scream "SUE THEM" it would have to go to a court of law.

While there is no doubt that the logo is derived from the earlier Phorm there are enough differences that mean they could get away with it. The font is different as are the treatment of the letterforms (i've just had a play with them in photoshop). They've got a decent designer to take the original Phorm logo and morph it just enough to make any legal comeback in doubt.

sneaky bastards.

PH 'cos she knows her logo's

How about if someone establishes a fighting fund or pledgebank to help fund good Phorm's fight to stop bad Phorm blackening their name and plagiarising their logo?

I'd pledge £20 (or more) to the fund to see these parasites taken down.

Well it appears K*nt's company are setting a 'Gold Standard' in breaches of trust, morals & decent business practice. but then parasites like K*nt have been selling iron pyrite since gold rushes began!

If I was a designer in Sheffield I'd be undertaking a re branding exercise and stinging K*nt & co for the costs & dephormation of your business name!

There must be some charitable (sic) legal outfit who will take this on as a No Win, No Fee case. Just for the publicity. Come one guys...

By looking at the logo from good phorm, and i know it's very small but hasn't it got the little (r) under the o. If this is true then does it mean that phorm is a registered trademark of phorm design. Because if that is true couldn't they sue bad phorm for trade mark infringement with in the uk.

Also i agree that if i was sent a letter from good phorm about something then i would automatically associate it with bad phorm.

Paris:- because she couldn't tell the difference between good and bad

Why not pledge yer money at a real court case. The people vs. BT PLC.

We already brand him (the sheffield design company) "good phorm" against the "bad phorm".

NIce pack mentality El reg readers have developed..

Give it a few months and they won't have the clout to defend the legal challenge...

:)

This is the Phorm modus operandi.

Steal valuable content from people who take time to design and create it, and use the keywords obtained to advertise third party sites.

And assume the consent of the creator, because its waaay too difficult to actually bother asking for permission before you gorge on the juicy luscious forbidden fruit.

If content creators don't want to splatter ads their content? They get ripped off and exploited, but that's ok because Simon Watkin @ Home Office says so. The consent of the creative types can be assumed.

Complain to your MP, and get these evil chimps stopped.

... if the story about them paying for the phorm domain name is true, then they must have been doing some searching around the internet to see who else was there. It would be very hard to prove that they had not seen phorm design's logo during their travels.

Coincidence ? - unlikely.

http://www.somerset.gov.uk/images/feature/feature_SouthWest1.gif

http://www.da-net.dk/images/Prodigy.jpg

Anyone else spot the similarity between a outsourcing venture's corporate logo & a cover by a certain band?

Skull & Crossbones (Self explanatory)

Are you f**king kidding me? "3 man band in Sheffield has same name as hated spyware outfit shocker" on the front page?

Come on, are you phoning these articles in from the pub?

Perhaps off-topic, but Good Phorm's gallery browser is extremely Cover Flow-esque... be interesting to know if they had that before Apple / pre-Leopard... these guys could retire off proceeds of the various lawsuits they might have on...

Nissan Computers vs Nissan Motors

http://www.nissan.com/Digest/The_Story.php

Not the first time someone big has tried to steal the little guy's logo/name.

This has been going on just about forever.

Unfortunate for the design company though, since even if they win they'll probably want to change their logo. Even if they stop the data-pimpers from (mis)using it, the association is now too strong to go away.

About as unfortunate as if you'd started a company called Swastika Designs in 1930. :-(

"Sheffield design company cries *phoul*"?

...that Bad Phorm's logo is simply shot to bits...

I think it should also be noted that Good Phorm are also claiming copyright on the whole of their web page, therefore including their logo. More grist to their mill.

BUT ... I've just been for a look at www.companieshouse.gov.uk and followed the WebCheck link. I searched for "Phorm". As I expected, I found the two registrations for Phorm UK Inc, a couple of branch offices of the outfit from Delaware. I also found a Phorm Designs Ltd with a Registered Office in the Fulham High Street.

As I am unwilling to pay for the detailed file I am not certain that they are different from the Sheffield team, but it seems likely.

Alas, the waters get muddier the more you look!

What a bunch of corrupt pirates indeed , mind in the land of self induced paranoia , all one needed is a DMCA take down letter and they be history !

Good Cause - I would however post it anonymously.

To misquote, elucidate, edutain & annoy:

CRIBS: You have no chance to survive make your time

Reg: Take off every 'ZIG'

Reg: You know what you doing

Reg: Move 'ZIG'

Reg: For great Justice

http://www.scene.org/redhound/AYB.swf