| A témához tartozó oldalak: [1 2] > | Big translation agency abusing my name to boost their business Téma indítója: Berit Kostka, PhD
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So, I'm going through a rather disturbing experience at the moment and wonder if anyone else had this happen to them. I used to work under my own name for many years as a freelancer and had my domain and email address with my own personal name. About a year ago I changed business and released the domain, not worried about anyone taking it since my name is pretty unique.
A few weeks ago a colleague of mine wrote to me saying that a big and well established translation agency had repl... See more So, I'm going through a rather disturbing experience at the moment and wonder if anyone else had this happen to them. I used to work under my own name for many years as a freelancer and had my domain and email address with my own personal name. About a year ago I changed business and released the domain, not worried about anyone taking it since my name is pretty unique.
A few weeks ago a colleague of mine wrote to me saying that a big and well established translation agency had replied to an email he had sent to my old email address by mistake, and they were trying to get him to accept their offer on his translation request. To cut a long story short, this translation agency had registered my old domain to their servers, redirecting it to their home page and also obviously is using my old email address to fish for business. A reply from the CEO to my email requesting to release the domain as his company is violating name rights did not even contain an apology. Instead, he said they bought and registered hundreds of translation domains and redirect them to their home page in order to enhance their online presence. He said he had placed the domain on a sales platform and told me to buy it off of him (and kindly suggested I should be fast).
I'm outraged and appalled by this practice. A consultation with a lawyer unfortunately resulted in him recommending me buying it instead of choosing the route of an expensive legal battle with unknown outcome (the translation agency is headquartered in a different country to me). I'm so frustrated and disgusted and somehow felt the need to let others know that this kind of stuff is going on. I'm not sure much can be done in my case because of international triangles and what, but anyone who uses or used their own name (or even their business name) in the translation industry and has changed domains maybe check if their name is now being used by someone else to steal business.
Not sure what I want out of this post – I just think translators should know about this. 😔
PS: The funny thing is that I was actually contemplating signing up with this agency myself as the BB entry has really good reviews. Well, I guess I won't be doing that anymore! 🙈 ▲ Collapse
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This is despicable. No, it's never happened to me, I just wanted to show solidarity - and suggest you tell the ProZ moderators about it and/or make a Blue Board note so others are aware, since they seem happy to admit to having done it
| | | | Kevin Fulton 
Egyesült Államok
Local time: 06:48
német - angol
| Shockingly unethical | Apr 9 |
Until now, I though no translation-related story would surprise me. Having the gall to invite you to buy back your name is easily the sleaziest thing I've heard of in this industry. This must be extraordinarily painful for you.
| | | | Daryo
Egyesült Királyság
Local time: 11:48
szerb - angol
+ ...
| Unfortunately it's legal | Apr 10 |
and there is a lot of vultures who are in the business of grabbing used domain names as soon as they happen to be available and then offering them back to you at extortionate prices. In all that 'ethical' counts about as much as in other practices considered as 'normal' with translation agencies.
The fact is that if you made a domain name valuable - you simply have to keep keeping it. Otherwise you make your own 'brand' available for free to whoever spots first the domain name wasn'... See more and there is a lot of vultures who are in the business of grabbing used domain names as soon as they happen to be available and then offering them back to you at extortionate prices. In all that 'ethical' counts about as much as in other practices considered as 'normal' with translation agencies.
The fact is that if you made a domain name valuable - you simply have to keep keeping it. Otherwise you make your own 'brand' available for free to whoever spots first the domain name wasn't renewed.
Over the years I lost a number of domain names, but as I never used them for any business the damage was very limited. OTOH I’m very careful about renewing the few domain names that matter to me – l learned my lesson. ▲ Collapse
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...are registered at proz.com (and I believe they are because they have a blue board record), staff should contact them to abolish those practices or their account will be banned from proz.com.
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I know that everyone here is wondering why some agencies don't contact us after signing NDA and sharing our personal information with them.
Well, the answer is the title of this topic.
We are no-body that's why we are being ghosted, I get it now.
| | | | Berit Kostka, PhD
Törökország
Local time: 13:48
Tag (2014 óta)
angol - német
+ ...
TÉMAINDÍTÓ | Is it really legal? | Apr 10 |
I understand that domain names as such are not protectable. And if you have a business/brand name it makes complete sense to protect it or secure everything that has to do with it. I'm not a big shot in the translation space, so I don't even know how they found out that I am actually a translator. My old domain doesn't include "translation" or anything of that matter. They must have spent quite some time searching for "suitable" people or companies to acquire their old domains or variations of t... See more I understand that domain names as such are not protectable. And if you have a business/brand name it makes complete sense to protect it or secure everything that has to do with it. I'm not a big shot in the translation space, so I don't even know how they found out that I am actually a translator. My old domain doesn't include "translation" or anything of that matter. They must have spent quite some time searching for "suitable" people or companies to acquire their old domains or variations of them. Maybe they went through the ProZ directory. 🤷🏻♀️
But since this domain is my actual personal name of which there are not many I'm sure, and certainly not in the world of translation, using this particular domain would infringe on my name/personal rights I assume. At least this would be the situation in Germany (.de domain) and also this is what the (German) lawyer told me. I guess the case would be the same all over the EU (agency is headquartered in UK).
As I'm no longer a resident of Germany, it would probably be difficult to legally pursue the situation from abroad, or extremely expensive. So I probably have to bite the bullet here. But I think I will follow Victoria's advice and contact ProZ about this agency. I don't feel like just giving in quietly. Especially after the audacious email from the CEO. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Daryo
Egyesült Királyság
Local time: 11:48
szerb - angol
+ ...
| Although legally forcing them to give you back | Apr 10 |
your domain name is for all pratical purposes a lost cause, you certainly have no reasons to refrain from naming and shaming them as widely as you can. They certainly deserved it.
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Berit Kostka, PhD
Törökország
Local time: 13:48
Tag (2014 óta)
angol - német
+ ...
TÉMAINDÍTÓ | Is it a breach of personal data protection? | Apr 10 |
I just wondered – since they don't seem to be willing to just release the domain and therefore email address with my personal real name in it, would this be a case of breaching privacy rights? Could I ask them to delete my name in any shape and form from their records referring to privacy laws? 🤔
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Hi Berit,
I would ask a chatbot, ChatGPT or sth. else, and describe your case. AI is usually really good with 'legal stuff'.
And then you can always use follow-up prompts to get more detailed answers and help.
Good luck
| | | | Mario Chávez
Egyesült Államok
Local time: 06:48
Tag (2024 óta)
angol - spanyol
+ ...
| A somewhat tricky situation but with solutions | Apr 10 |
I would suggest that you buy it from him but haggle over the price, don't let them pressure you into buying it right away. Once you get it back, you'll have to keep it forever if you don't want others to do what this agency did.
Legally speaking, they did not do anything wrong. They purchased a domain that you had released. So, if you want it back, they're in their rights to sell it to you or to whomever has a better offer. But you're better off waiting until that domain is again av... See more I would suggest that you buy it from him but haggle over the price, don't let them pressure you into buying it right away. Once you get it back, you'll have to keep it forever if you don't want others to do what this agency did.
Legally speaking, they did not do anything wrong. They purchased a domain that you had released. So, if you want it back, they're in their rights to sell it to you or to whomever has a better offer. But you're better off waiting until that domain is again available in the market via reputable platforms.
I accidentally released my domain years ago and whenever I tried to recover it, I was confronted with the new owner wanting to sell it to me. I refused and waited. Four or five years later, I was able to find my domain available and I purchased it for little money. That's the other option you have, to wait until it's available but not from any individual company or person but from a recognized service, like GoDaddy or Wordsmeet.org. Or reputable platforms operating in your country.
Meanwhile, may I suggest you contact your clients, colleagues or other contacts you used to correspond via your old domain-based email address and suggest they use your new email address. That way, you can salvage as much goodwill as you can. No point in crying over spilled milk. Cheers.
MC
Berit Kostka, PhD wrote:
I understand that domain names as such are not protectable. And if you have a business/brand name it makes complete sense to protect it or secure everything that has to do with it. I'm not a big shot in the translation space, so I don't even know how they found out that I am actually a translator. My old domain doesn't include "translation" or anything of that matter. They must have spent quite some time searching for "suitable" people or companies to acquire their old domains or variations of them. Maybe they went through the ProZ directory. 🤷🏻♀️
But since this domain is my actual personal name of which there are not many I'm sure, and certainly not in the world of translation, using this particular domain would infringe on my name/personal rights I assume. At least this would be the situation in Germany (.de domain) and also this is what the (German) lawyer told me. I guess the case would be the same all over the EU (agency is headquartered in UK).
As I'm no longer a resident of Germany, it would probably be difficult to legally pursue the situation from abroad, or extremely expensive. So I probably have to bite the bullet here. But I think I will follow Victoria's advice and contact ProZ about this agency. I don't feel like just giving in quietly. Especially after the audacious email from the CEO. ▲ Collapse
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I had a hotmail account and I decided to close it. Now the name of that old email is available if anyone wants to use it. It wasn't my real name. And hotmail is a public domain.
Also, if you cancel your mobile number, the telecom company can resell it after some period the same number to other person.
And if you have company's mobile number, if you quit or stop working for them, they will give that number to another employee.
And legally these situations are allowed.
... See more I had a hotmail account and I decided to close it. Now the name of that old email is available if anyone wants to use it. It wasn't my real name. And hotmail is a public domain.
Also, if you cancel your mobile number, the telecom company can resell it after some period the same number to other person.
And if you have company's mobile number, if you quit or stop working for them, they will give that number to another employee.
And legally these situations are allowed.
What isn't allowed is someone to use your email, or your name on some domain (company's or maybe they break into a existing one) and pretending that they are you with some offshore account or online payment service and stealing your work from clients.
And eventually everyone is getting caught in doing illegal things.
Just the other day in my country 43 people were arrested for fraud with abusing people's personal data from the system.
If you are interested, here, the title translated to English is "Stolen lives"
https://irl.mk/ukradeni-zhivoti-43-lu-e-osomnicheni-za-izmamite-so-brzi-krediti/
https://www.dw.com/mk/razbiena-sema-so-brzi-krediti-kako-se-odvivala-izmamata/a-72197796
You are from Turkey, and probably you know that on Balkan even the dead can vote on elections.
[Edited at 2025-04-10 18:32 GMT]
[Edited at 2025-04-11 02:44 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Berit Kostka, PhD
Törökország
Local time: 13:48
Tag (2014 óta)
angol - német
+ ...
TÉMAINDÍTÓ | According to Information Commissioner's Office in the UK | Apr 11 |
who enforces and oversees the data protection act said that in my case the agency should have asked my permission before using my legal name for their business. It is the direct identifier of my person and cannot be confused with someone or something else easily. Which makes my case a bit different to other domains or names that are more common I suppose. I am aware that domains are up for sale to anyone, but before buying one it also has to be checked that the domain is not violating any rights... See more who enforces and oversees the data protection act said that in my case the agency should have asked my permission before using my legal name for their business. It is the direct identifier of my person and cannot be confused with someone or something else easily. Which makes my case a bit different to other domains or names that are more common I suppose. I am aware that domains are up for sale to anyone, but before buying one it also has to be checked that the domain is not violating any rights (name, brand, trademark etc.). If the domain was berittranslatesenglish.com I couldn't say anything.
So anyways, I asked the CEO to exercise my rights to deletion and objection to any kind of processing. Let's see. If this can't be solved easily I will file a complaint to the ICO and they will give support.
Of course I learned from this and will secure this domain as soon as it becomes available again. In fact I made a dispute entry on the domain, too, so it is not transferable to anyone else anymore anyways and I will become the new owner automatically as soon as it is released. And the current owner is actually also not allowed to sell it publicly (and also privately I suppose) to another third party while this dispute is active.
Who would have thought that my name is that much valuable to a company to use it for their own benefits and not give it back without resistance. 😄🙈 Should I be flattered about that? Not sure... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chávez
Egyesült Államok
Local time: 06:48
Tag (2024 óta)
angol - spanyol
+ ...
| Glad you found solutions | Apr 11 |
I hope you can get it back. Nevertheless...
...I would advise anyone who's thinking of setting up shop on the internet by buying a domain name to resist the temptation of using their actual name for the reasons you shared (and for many other reasons). A person's name is not a brand. Human beings aren't pieces of property to be bought and sold, despite humanity's deplorable history of slavery.
I think we human beings can come up with interesting domain names (I said i... See more I hope you can get it back. Nevertheless...
...I would advise anyone who's thinking of setting up shop on the internet by buying a domain name to resist the temptation of using their actual name for the reasons you shared (and for many other reasons). A person's name is not a brand. Human beings aren't pieces of property to be bought and sold, despite humanity's deplorable history of slavery.
I think we human beings can come up with interesting domain names (I said interesting, not long ). Best of luck, Berit.
Mario Chávez
Berit Kostka, PhD wrote:
who enforces and oversees the data protection act said that in my case the agency should have asked my permission before using my legal name for their business. It is the direct identifier of my person and cannot be confused with someone or something else easily. Which makes my case a bit different to other domains or names that are more common I suppose. I am aware that domains are up for sale to anyone, but before buying one it also has to be checked that the domain is not violating any rights (name, brand, trademark etc.). If the domain was berittranslatesenglish.com I couldn't say anything.
So anyways, I asked the CEO to exercise my rights to deletion and objection to any kind of processing. Let's see. If this can't be solved easily I will file a complaint to the ICO and they will give support.
Of course I learned from this and will secure this domain as soon as it becomes available again. In fact I made a dispute entry on the domain, too, so it is not transferable to anyone else anymore anyways and I will become the new owner automatically as soon as it is released. And the current owner is actually also not allowed to sell it publicly (and also privately I suppose) to another third party while this dispute is active.
Who would have thought that my name is that much valuable to a company to use it for their own benefits and not give it back without resistance. 😄🙈 Should I be flattered about that? Not sure...
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Berit,
Will this action cover your email address as well?
I am relieved for you that there is some kind of protection covering your name.
Alejandra
| | | | | A témához tartozó oldalak: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Big translation agency abusing my name to boost their business | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
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