LONDON — A London real estate agency’s website was hijacked by a rival company and directed to hardcore porn sites.
A report on the U.K. website The Drum said the High Court has ruled against the nefarious company SW19 Estate Agents after it bought and redirected the now dormant domain EddisonEhite.com.
This could be a landmark ruling for small businesses in Britain against competitor tactics on the Internet.
In the decision, the court ruled in favor of South West London estate agency Eddison White in its battle to protect its reputation online.
SW19 Estate Agents Ltd. has been ordered to pay significant damages to Eddison White.
Luke Bennett, the owner of SW19, purchased EddisonEhite.com in 2005 with the aim of harming the reputation and business of Eddison White, having noted that only the ".co.uk" domain was in use by the claimant.
The domain was then variously directed to other real estate agents in the area, SW19 Estate Agents Ltd.’s own website, and several hardcore pornography websites despite Eddison White’s protests, the report said.
“It has been difficult for us and all of our customers and most important for those individuals who were subjected to some truly awful images thanks to Mr. Bennett’s antics," said Richard Eddison, joint owner of Eddison White. "For a professional service business to act in this way is beyond contempt and does little to challenge any preconceived ideas members of the public may have about our profession.”
He added, "We have sought to rise above that by running a truly professional business and offer excellent service to buyers and sellers alike. It’s just a shame Mr. Bennett didn’t chose to operate with the same values.”