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Two websites are actually the same website. How do I prove?

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(@sirnukesalot007)
Posts: 2
New Member
Topic starter
 

Hello.

I am trying to link 2 companies websites together as actually being the same website with a different name.

Company A in order to escape debt has renamed themselves to Company B and changed their website to reflect a different name. The look, color scheme, pictures, placement of items, etc…. are the same for both company websites.

I would like to prove they are the same website and same company in court. Of course the company denies everything 100%.

What type of forensic data can link the 2 websites as the same website from the same company?

This is what I have done already.

1. The fine print disclaimer accidentally said the website was property of the first company.
2. View source code and search for the name of the first company which I found like 12 times.
3. Image files link name match the same for the 2 websites.
4. Server hosting company was identical between the 2 websites.

What else can I do to prove the 2 websites are the same website, being controlled by the same company? What other digital finger print will show them to be the same?

Thanks.

 
Posted : 06/07/2019 6:29 am
jaclaz
(@jaclaz)
Posts: 5133
Illustrious Member
 

Well, finding the name of the company in the "fine read" and in the source (your points #1 and #2) is enough to say that the second site is a copy of the first one, the same names of images (your point #3) may further prove that - particularly if the image names are distinctive, i.e. not "backgtounf.jpg, left_menu.jpg, etc. - it is a rip-off of the "original".
But at the most it is a copyright/Intellectual property case.

Your point #4 is meaningless.

Accessing the actual ID's of the ICANN Registrars of this (and of that) site might help (though of course the data may be dalse or anonymized through a third party).

If you can, follow the money 😯

Who paid the invoices for the hosting of site #1 ?
Who paid the invoices for the hosting of site #2 ?

jaclaz

 
Posted : 06/07/2019 8:23 am
Bunnysniper
(@bunnysniper)
Posts: 257
Reputable Member
 

What else can I do to prove the 2 websites are the same .

1. Download pics, scripts and other content and compare their hashes in SHA-* or MD5 if u like
2. Make a comparison of the sitemaps if available or generate these sitemaps yourself
3. If you have longer text, compare the text and all typos in them
4. Use a tool like WinMerge http//winmerge.org/?lang=en or Diffchecker https://www.diffchecker.com/ to get statistical values so you can say "these websites are 86% identical". Some nice screenshots and some more digits will convince every judge 😉

Good luck!

Robin

PS Download both websites completly before they are gone!

 
Posted : 06/07/2019 11:01 am
(@c-r-s)
Posts: 170
Estimable Member
 

Don't invest time or money in this approach without legal advice. The the presumed procedure per se is neither "illegal" in the US nor would it lead to a shared liability between the two companies without additional circumstances.

 
Posted : 06/07/2019 2:28 pm
watcher
(@watcher)
Posts: 125
Estimable Member
 

Are they the same IP address, just virtualized based on host name? Is this common for this provider?

In addition to capturing the web pages HTML as was already suggested, also capture the network traffic to see if they both pull from the same secondary sources for graphics scripts and advertisements. A plain traffic capture via Wireshark or tcpdump will be partially blinded due to HTTPS. Run a web proxy Man-in-The-Middle (MiTM) such as Fiddler or Zap to see the full secondary sub-urls.

 
Posted : 06/07/2019 4:23 pm
Passmark
(@passmark)
Posts: 376
Reputable Member
 

When developing a new web site it is common to copy an existing similar site. The old site becomes the template for the new site. Professional web developers do this all the time. You can even buy pre-made templates. So two sites developed from the same template will be very similar. Ignoring copyright issues, there is nothing illegal about this.

Aren't you better off looking at the company records and see who the directors are? But starting a new company isn't illegal either. Unless the directors were bankrupted and are now barred from holding official positions. Even then they will typically get a friend or family member to be a shadow director when they phoenix the company.

See also
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_company#Indicators

 
Posted : 08/07/2019 2:02 am
CFEx
 CFEx
(@cfex)
Posts: 69
Trusted Member
 

Hello.

I am trying to link 2 companies websites together as actually being the same website with a different name.

Company A in order to escape debt has renamed themselves to Company B and changed their website to reflect a different name. The look, color scheme, pictures, placement of items, etc…. are the same for both company websites.

I would like to prove they are the same website and same company in court. Of course the company denies everything 100%.

What type of forensic data can link the 2 websites as the same website from the same company?

This is what I have done already.

1. The fine print disclaimer accidentally said the website was property of the first company.
2. View source code and search for the name of the first company which I found like 12 times.
3. Image files link name match the same for the 2 websites.
4. Server hosting company was identical between the 2 websites.

What else can I do to prove the 2 websites are the same website, being controlled by the same company? What other digital finger print will show them to be the same?

Thanks.

It's not clear why you need to prove that Company A's website is the same as Company B's website. If you are trying to establish that Company A reorganized as Company B to avoid debt, website A = website B may not be convincing evidence.

As others have said,
A. Look at domain registration records of A & B. If not anonymized, is there a link between the two (e.g., post address, registrant contact name, email or phone). This will be convincing evidence.
B. Search business registration records with the appropriate Secretary of State (if business are in the US) or business registration databases (if outside the US and if available in the applicable country) to find common directors/shareholders. This will be convincing evidence. In many places, a business is required to register with the respective local government to "do business as…"

I would also use LinkedIn to see if any employee names are common. This will give you a strong indication that A & B may be the same but doesn't completely prove it.

A & B may be your best options, before you get to court.

 
Posted : 08/07/2019 7:54 pm
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