[Magi]

Greetings

Is there any legal related issues to worry about if i was to redirect users who use a certain toolbars or BHOs to a page that i generated that says something like

"Your browser Toolbar(s) are not supported on this directory, turn them off by (instructions) and revisit (plugs in URL)"


Kind Regards to legal team

[globalten]

I am interested in the answer to this too, I think it's not 100% legal though ...

[Magi]

I made this post on a free legal advise forum since no one seemed to know / respond here

http://forum.freeadvice.com/computer...ml#post2116857

[markwelch]

If you choose not to allow your web site to be viewed by consumers who have the XYZ toolbar installed and active, then your solution seems quite reasonable.

I don't understand the legal issue. Why would anyone think this was not legal?

Certainly, anybody can sue you for anything -- someone could file a lawsuit alleging that you robbed Abraham Lincoln's grave or clouded their psychic aura, and you'd need to spend time and money responding. If you worry about this, you'll never get anything done.

Of course, you should not make any misrepresentations, and in theory you could be sued (for defamation) if you make disparaging comments about a particular company or individual, or about the functional abilities of a particular product. (This can be tricky, since you probably want to explain to people why you won't allow your web site to be viewed with a particular toolbar/BHO enabled, and you'd probably be tempted to use words like "parasite" and perhaps even stronger words like "poaching" and "stealing").

You could also be sued for "unfair competition," alleging that your actions as an affiliate are anti-competitive toward other legitimate, lawful affiliates. (Unfair competition was one of the ludicrous claims made by a publicity-hungry spammer who sued me in 1999; although the spammer quickly abandoned his suit, I spent more than $5,000 in legal fees and costs to deal with the lawsuit.)

[Magi]

Originally Posted by markwelch

You could also be sued for "unfair competition," alleging that your actions as an affiliate are anti-competitive toward other legitimate, lawful affiliates. (Unfair competition was one of the ludicrous claims made by a publicity-hungry spammer who sued me in 1999; although the spammer quickly abandoned his suit, I spent more than $5,000 in legal fees and costs to deal with the lawsuit.)

WOW!