Bowisc said:
Personally, I would have contacted the person in error and try to resolve it before posting about the ordeal. Or at least refrain from being specific about who was was involved unless the studio was not being cooperative.
But it's over now and a resolution was drawn. So, that's what matters, although the other studio's reputation is a bit tainted in the eyes of probably several hundred (or more) who've read these threads.
I hope any remaining threads get deleted soon.
I did call them immediately, but only got somebody who took the message and then I waited for some time before posting anything anywhere. While I was waiting for a return phone call, I looked at their HTML code and saw this:
<META name="keywords" content="rock studio, rap studio, Dallas Texas recording, Protools HD, Red distribution, Protools HD, dallas recording, dallas studios, goodnight audio, goodnight audio studios, goodnight studios, goodnight recording studios, goodnight studio, goodnight audio, goodnight dallas, goodnight recording studio, Indian Trail Recording Studio, Indian Trail Recording, Indian Trail Studio, ITR Studio, Indian Trail Records, ITR Records, ITR, recording">
"Meta names" are used to get a site to show up when someone does a browser search. So, anyone searching for "Indian Trail Recording Studio, Indian Trail Recording, Indian Trail Studio, ITR Studio, Indian Trail Records, ITR Records, ITR" would have "http://itrstudios.com" appear in their search engine and be taken to Goodnight Audio.
It's called "cybersquatting", and it's illegal. It's the same thing as creating a site called Microsofts.com and taking them to a Macintosh site. I wanted to settle this without sueing them, but at the same time, I was royally pissed.
Especially when I got some phone calls, asking if I had sold Indian Trail Recording Studio to Goodnight Audio. At that point, I went ballistic, and posted to rec.audio.pro, and the four forums I frequent.
I was about to post to six more forums (and write a scathing denouncement in my monthly Harder Beat column), when I finally received a phone call from the owner of Goodnight Audio, who apologized for their illegal actions and blamed his overzealous webmaster for the problem. Why my studio was singled out for this treatment was never explained.
Anyway, I posted that the problem had been resolved, left the threads up long enough to let people read that it was resolved, then pulled them from all the forums I could. This is the only forum where I am not allowed to delete a thread that I started, unless it's done within a short period of time.
When I started getting phone calls, it went beyond a simple stunt; it became theft of service, damge to my studio's reputation, and possible loss of business. When I didn't hear back from them (in what I considered a reasonable time), I felt I had to make it known that this was a blatent attempt to hijack our studio name and reputation (unfairly and illegally) by another studio in our area. The "META names" (from their website) makes it clear as to their obvious intent to deceive our potential customers by redirecting inquiries to their site.
..especially at a business-- A complete pleasant guy all around..NOT!
