Domain Spoofer Fined $15,000

CANMORE, BC — Surfers searching for a high-end bicycle retailer may have been surprised to find gay porn instead — but not as surprised as the Canadian man who has been fined $15,000 for the malicious domain spoofing behind it.

In a case that has implications for all domain name owners, Ryan Draper was convicted of "corporate sabotage" for his actions against his former employer, Inform Cycle Ltd., which operates a website at InformCycle.ca.

After leaving the company to work for competitor Rebound Inc., Draper registered the domain name InformCycle.com; redirecting visitors to the Rebound website.

Draper later changed the redirect to send visitors to a gay website and then left for Costa Rica.

Subsequently, one of Rebound's owners was able to find Draper, obtain his password and stop the redirect.

While Draper reportedly apologized to Inform Cycle owner Patrick Griffith for the incident, his claim that it was done because Griffith owed him money was discounted by Justice Scott Brooker, who noted that no such claim was previously made.

"Draper's excuse for his actions is incredulous," Brooker said.

Draper was fined $5,000 for attempting to pass the site off as being associated with Rebound and fined an additional $5,000 for defamation due to portraying Inform as being associated with gay porn.

Despite Draper's claim that he was owed money, Brooker found his conduct reprehensible.

According to the Calgary Sun, Brooker said that Draper's conduct "was malicious and warranted punitive damages over and above Inform's losses."

"Draper deliberately and, in my view, maliciously, forwarded the '.com' website to an explicit gay pornographic website for a period of 16 days," Brooker said. "In fact, I find that the true reason for Draper's actions was to embarrass and harm Inform and its principals, the Griffiths, by attempting to link them to this smut."

As a result, Brooker added $5,000 in punitive damages, bringing Draper's total fine to $15,000.

The exact number of customers that were redirected to the gay porn site is unknown.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Justices Alito, Thomas Invoke Victorian-Era Morality Law, Raising Censorship Concerns

Several national publications reported this week on widespread concern among Free Speech advocates after U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas repeatedly invoked during a hearing the infamous segregation-era law the Comstock Act, which was the cornerstone of U.S. censorship of sexual material from the 1870s until the 1970s.

Skinfluential Management's FansFuel Acquires Fanwire

Creator stats and affiliate marketing platform FansFuel has acquired creator account management tool Fanwire.

Nebraska AV Bill Moves Forward Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns

Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature has given first-round approval to LB 1092, the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

AEBN Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN) is celebrating its 25th year in business this week.

Performers in Meta Blacklisting Lawsuit Seek to Preserve Antitrust Claims

Adult Performance Artists Guild board officers Alana Evans, Kelly Pierce and Ruby have informed a California court that, although they want to drop their lawsuit claiming that Meta conspired with OnlyFans to blacklist rival premium fan platforms’ talent, they may still pursue antitrust claims in the future.

FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to stay its recent decision upholding the law, because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.

FSC Vows to Fight Florida Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has issued a statement vowing to continue fighting Florida’s new age verification law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as part of a comprehensive bill targeting minors’ use of social media.

Kansas Republican Aims to Create New Bureaucracy to 'Investigate' Porn Websites

Republican state legislators succeeded Monday in moving forward Kansas’ version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite serious concerns raised by House Democrats about the cost of establishing a new bureaucracy tasked with investigating websites for pornographic content.

SK Intertainment Launches 'Skinfluential Management' Agency, FansFuel Joint Venture

Mr. Skin/Mr. Man parent company SK Intertainment has launched new creator agency Skinfluential Management, as well as a new joint venture with Showbizz Media's creator stats and affiliate marketing platform, FansFuel.

Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75

Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.

Show More