Copyright copycats

Few cases of copycat design are as amusing as a recent tale, solved amicably, involving a barrister. – Nick Lockett, of London law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse, was surprised to find his website copied by an American lawyer.

Few cases of copycat design are as amusing as a recent tale, solved amicably, involving a barrister.

Nick Lockett, of London law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse, was surprised to find his website copied by an American lawyer. Even his own photograph had been used in the copy. Lockett could ill afford to take the situation lightly as he specialises in trademark and copyright law.

Investigation revealed “a classic case of inadvertent publication”, according to Lockett. The American lawyer had been so impressed with Lockett’s site that, with a few alterations, he copied it to show to his brother as an example of how to create the ideal website for a lawyer. The copy was not intended to be available for public scrutiny, but a technical glitch meant that anybody with a search engine could find it.

The copy has been removed from the Web and the situation resolved. “It’s quite ironic, considering,” says Lockett.

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