DisLive.com Shut Down

[tecdavidt]

Apparently, DisLive.com received a Cease & Desist order from another entity (to go un-named in this post).

This new site was turning into a great location to see live streaming videos from Disney locations and was a great compliment to the offended entity.

It is a shame that people who love and appreciate Disney sometimes act in such non-Disney ways.

Hopefully this will be resolved soon.

Posted at 6:07 EST - hopefully this will not be removed by a moderator?

[Buzz Litebeer]

Interesting post.

I wonder if the "offended party" plans on suing Disney next? After all, the first three letters in that company name are DIS.

[TLinden16]

Since this doesn't really have anything to do with trip planning, I'm going to move this over to the Theme parks community board.

[perla75]

What is Dislive.com? A webcam?

[tecdavidt]

It is a new site intended to combine all of the live web cams set up by Disney visitors. It also puts some limits on the chat to keep out spammers and others who spoil the experience.

[cnorris40]

As a user of both sites, I don't understand. You would have to be some kind of idiot to not understand that they are not affiliated. I would love to hear an explanation, but as someone constantly working with lawyers, I know they were all asked to stay above the "fray". I agree with the OP, this isn't really in the "spirit" of Disney.

[Inignotlover]

What a shame. I thought the idea of discussing disney was discussing the magic and what we all love about it. Sharing tips and dreams and hints and secrets. Not for shutting down any and all competitors. And with that, my last post. See you all on another site until that gets shut down because people they think they own three letters that another company technically owns.

[mmexpress]

Amen!

[Ilovemylife]

How very, very disappointing. :sad2: :sad2: :sad2:

[amyhughes]

This saddens me greatly. I love what you all do with the DisLive, and my DH and I were talking about adding our names to the list for video the next time we go down to WDW. I expected more from site management on this, and truly it doesn't sit well with me.

Part of enjoying something, and enjoying your work is adding to it through legacy. Bringing in fresh voices, faces, and ideas, building working relationships not burning bridges. And I feel that this is not what Walt would have liked to see amongst his fans. Sad fact being here, there is enough to go around and DisLive wasn't attempting to make any money. It was a great experience.

Are they going to tell Disney they can't use DIS as their stock call letters anymore on the NYSE?

[HoneyPie17]

Excellent post:thumbsup2

[amyhughes]

Thanks.:thumbsup2

[HoneyPie17]

I didn't think stuff like this went on in America.

[jordancej]

This new site was turning into a great location to see live streaming videos from Disney locations and was a great compliment to the offended entity.

I totally agree to what Dave said..... this was/is a great place to watch the videos all in one place.... without all the spammers... anyway, it was very well organized and just to be able to chat live with other DISney fans in real time was just a huge treat!

Just a shame..... :(

[crzy4mickey]

On this historical Inauguration day, sadly it still does.

[Planogirl]

This is disappointing to say the least. I thought that Disney would own the DIS letters if anyone did. Will all of the websites using the DIS term be sued now?

Sad.

[I'mNoPrince]

Well Here is my Take.

The entire DISLIVE was started right here on the DIS as a way to Share our Love and Trips to Disney. Sort of like a Live TR. It grew to the point where it was very hard to keep track of and control of things to make them enjoyable to all those involved ( Most right here from the DIS).

So The next step was to set a Site that allowed better control of both content and feeds , DISLIVE was born. What a great Idea many of us would find links here on the DIS and send people over then back from there to here to the Trip Reports what a great working relationship.

I know many of the DIS MODS would come over and visit the feeds as most are truly Disney Fanatics like the rest of us.

Yes a Forum was set up to help with the Setup and equipment used for the feeds and other things related to the Feeds. Just a great site to get just the right info to feed our thirst until our next trip.

I know it was shut down ,I know why it was shut down but I just don't see any reason on WHY anyone would want it to be shut down.If this is truly what happens when Sites like these get so big they lose the focus on why they were started in the first place then we are in a VERY SAD TIME of true Disney Magic.

Please allow these sites to co-exist there is nothing gained buy forcing a shut down and even more Important Nothing Lost to ALLOW it to stay up.

[KikiFan]

this isn't really in the "spirit" of Disney.

The "spirit of Disney?" This isn't even in the spirit of decency or integrity.

This website owes it's very existence to another, far more successful business - DISney. If anyone has a claim to the letters/phrase "Dis" its DISNEY.

For this website to bully another site with the same business model shows an appalling lack of integrity and an over-inflated ego.

[cokenut33]

This is ridiculous!!!! Dislive is NOT a competitor, but a complementary site that gives those of us who want to stream a safe environment to do so. Instead of being shut down, they should be welcomed with open arms and nurtured along! We NEED a safe place to stream, and I hope this gets figured out soon!!!!

[angelmav]

What a terrible shame. This puts a DISasterous spin on how i feel about this site. I cant believe that they would be such bully's and feel entiteled to own the letters dis. I really question dis decision.

[jsoren11]

devil's advocate here, if you have ever been on that site, you can totally see a resemblance to the "offended" site. I totally thought there was some sort of partnership going on between the two entities. Im admittedly new at the blogging and chatting world, but I honestly could see an almost identical design between the two home pages. the login screen and so on and so forth....
If Dislive is designing almost identical pages, with just a few color differences and such, but they choose to do business with corps that the offended party does not, it could shine poorly on a company and site that has worked hard to maintain a sort of higher standard in who they represent as a public site.

If you DISagree with my statement, im sorry, just throwin my two cents in, but you have to admit, Pete seems to really take the quality of adverts on his site seriously. If they start to get hit with crap from a random copy cat like Dislive, (no matter how fun it was to watch sorcerermickey's live vids) you know it has to hurt the boards a little bit.. :mic:

[CPT Tripss]

I don't see any similarity (other than Disney) between the two sites.

The site owners don't seem to have any problem with advertisers that claim to be BBB affiliated when they are not.

[andrewilley]

I honestly could see an almost identical design between the two home pages. the login screen and so on and so forth....


Any similarities in look and feel (e.g. login screens, basic message layout, etc) are solely down to the vBulletin software which both sites (and thousands of others) use to manage their messagebases. Otherwise, there is nothing to indicate that DisLive is attempting to usurp users into thinking that they are on another site - even the color palette is totally opposite!

Should sites such as www.dis.dk, www.disdubai.ae, www.dis-corp.com, www.dis-locate.net, www.dis.cc, www.dis.waw.pl also be shut down under the same argument, by the way? Or worst of all, www.************* (which is another Disney-specialist travel agent).

In a spirit of generosity (hey, I'm a born optimist) I do wonder whether this may have been instigated by over-zealous lawyers, rather than by the actual operators of the "offended site". I really do hope so, as otherwise they have just lost a heck of a lot of respect from their userbase.

There are times to talk and times to send in the artillery - and this would appear to be very much in the former category.

Finally, thank you to the moderators here for allowing this discussion to take place, it's nice to see that freedom of speech and expression is alive and well over there in the USA - even if some lawyers might appear to think otherwise.

Andre

[Cinders Mum]

to my mind someone made a kneejerk reaction to this and the consequences are far reaching, and in my opinion, shows a real level of arrogance that one company can own the rights to 3 letters... it is rediculous.

Unfortunately there have been and I believe will continue to be times when decisions made here with a hot head on rather than with calm rational process.

I wait with anticipation that i will be proved wrong, but I ain't holding my breath.

[Tink rules]

Gee... nobody seems to have noticed that it happened about a week after one of the people went through the MK with a laptop???

I enjoyed the videos...

Considering the info that Disney itself puts out is crap, I think the other sites, including this one only help Disney if it is done in good taste.

Disney wouldn't have as many fans without sites like this for people to share their love of Disney...

[andrewilley]

Disney wouldn't have as many fans without sites like this for people to share their love of Disney...

To clarify, it is not DISney that have objected, it is another fan site which also uses those same first three letters... perhaps their lawyers would like to take on DISney too for the use of the letters?

The basic live web streams can currently still be found via the old link (http://dislive.webng.com/) which has been around for ages without anyone taking exception.

Andre

[Tink rules]

I stand corrected...

[cazzie]

:sad2: I am shocked by the reaction of the Disboards. Dislive was exactly that a live streaming site where all the live Disney streams could be found in one place easily. I fail to see why a site as big as the Disboards should feel the need to do something like this. It definitely leaves a bad taste and I hope it can be resolved.

[granmaz]

I am so very sad about this and the Disboard's response. I love the Disboards, and I love all other Disney related sites. I visit quite a few and gain much information from them all to be able to enjoy my vacations all the more.

Dislive is for live streaming and is a wonderful tool for us all to enjoy. I don't believe for one minute it is in competition, but complementary.

I always thought the Dis meant Disney, so available for us all to use.

Disboards, please reconsider, it seems so childish to me.

[WebmasterPete]

First, let's clear up a few things.

No one is trying to 'shut down' dislive.com - I have no problem with their site, I have a problem with the name they are using. I've had the DIS for 12 years and have built a brand around that name, including DISboards.com, DISUnplugged, DISRadio, etc.

dislive.com is confusing to some people - I know this because I've received several emails from people thinking that it was our site. And I'm sorry, I don't believe that it's unintentional. Even the most jaded and cynical can see the obvious similartiy.

The law is pretty clear about this stuff - you can't use a name that's confusingly similar to someone elses. I know as I've been on the receiving end of a letter like that. Those of you who have been around for a while might remember that this site used to be disneyinfo.com - until Disney asked us to stop using that name.

Again, it's not my intention to shut that site down - but they'll have to come up with an original name for it. I'm not trying to be unreasonable, not trying to hurt their traffic, and we'll give them a grace period to find a new name and switch over without huring any of their traffic - but they need an ORIGINAL name for their site. That's all I'm asking for.

Pete

[andrewilley]

Thanks for the comments Pete. I'm assuming that all of your concerns were exhaustively discussed with the DisLive webmaster first, and no suitable agreement could be reached, before any threatening legal letters were sent out?

I'm not trying to be unreasonable, not trying to hurt their traffic, and we'll give them a grace period to find a new name and switch over without huring any of their traffic - but they need an ORIGINAL name for their site. That's all I'm asking for.

That's great to know. So, as far as you and your appointed lawyers are concerned, the current version of the streaming videos site can be immediately restored while discussions about any naming changes continue (options could be put to the site membership that way).

Andre

[mom2mykids]

:guilty: :sad2: :guilty: :sad1: What more could I say???

[MonicaInFlorida]

Any similarities in look and feel (e.g. login screens, basic message layout, etc) are solely down to the vBulletin software which both sites (and thousands of others) use to manage their messagebases. Otherwise, there is nothing to indicate that DisLive is attempting to usurp users into thinking that they are on another site - even the color palette is totally opposite!

Should sites such as www.dis.dk, www.disdubai.ae, www.dis-corp.com, www.dis-locate.net, www.dis.cc, www.dis.waw.pl also be shut down under the same argument, by the way? Or worst of all, www.************* (which is another Disney-specialist travel agent).

Excellent points.

[Bill From PA]

I didn't think stuff like this went on in America.

It's not an American who's gone lawsuit crazy.

Bill From PA

[WebmasterPete]

It's not an American who's gone lawsuit crazy.

Huh?

As for the comments about 'look and feel' - that's not the issue. The issue is the name - and as for the other sites that were mentioned, it's the first I'm hearing about them and if they are looking to confuse people into believing they are associated with the DIS, they'll get the same letter from the lawyer.

And yes, I sent two emails to the webmaster of dislive.com and neither was responded to.

I'll repeat what I said, no one is trying to shut anyone down - they need to find their own identity and not try to borrow off mine.

Pete

[IloveDMB]

First, let's clear up a few things.

No one is trying to 'shut down' dislive.com - I have no problem with their site, I have a problem with the name they are using. I've had the DIS for 12 years and have built a brand around that name, including DISboards.com, DISUnplugged, DISRadio, etc.

dislive.com is confusing to some people - I know this because I've received several emails from people thinking that it was our site. And I'm sorry, I don't believe that it's unintentional. Even the most jaded and cynical can see the obvious similartiy.

The law is pretty clear about this stuff - you can't use a name that's confusingly similar to someone elses. I know as I've been on the receiving end of a letter like that. Those of you who have been around for a while might remember that this site used to be disneyinfo.com - until Disney asked us to stop using that name.

Again, it's not my intention to shut that site down - but they'll have to come up with an original name for it. I'm not trying to be unreasonable, not trying to hurt their traffic, and we'll give them a grace period to find a new name and switch over without huring any of their traffic - but they need an ORIGINAL name for their site. That's all I'm asking for.

Pete

Hmm, that's pretty funny considering the Walt Disney World Company trades on the stock market as DIS! Shall you be going after them next?

[tecdavidt]

Pete - thanks for chiming in. It helps to hear both sides of an issue.

And angry responses aside, I hope you take a deep breath, then read the balance of this thread in the spirit it was intended. Clearly a number of your customers believe that this decision on your part was inappropriate.

I have been a business owner for more than 15 years and have had to deal will "similar" issues a number of times. I have found that holding on too tight to "my stuff" tends to alienate clients (customers). Being open builds a stonger relationship.

My 2 cents.

Thanks

[tlens]

Courts look at many factors regarding trademark infringement when looking at similar names. Some include things such as similarity of products, sophistication of the buyer, the level of confustion and expansion of product lines. I don't think dislive was selling anything. DISboards however are and Disney had a right to ask you to change the former name. It's not an apples to apples comparison.

[brerrabbit]

I might get in trouble for this but here goes, this whole thing boils down to money, pure and simple. The DIS is and has been a platform for all things Disneyworld related for quite a while. I got here all those years ago by searching for information on an upcoming trip and found this place. It helped a lot and I found when I wasn't planning a trip it was a pretty neat place to keep up with the world. Then all of a sudden you could become a sponsor and pay money for a little avtar that said you were a sponsor. It was to help defer the costs of the site. Only problem is the site is a platform for marketing. Links everywhere to affiliated sites/ marketing sites. A Travel Agency owned and operated by the owner of this site. Site operators make money by the number of hits they get and collect more dollars from advertisers based on that. Call it the rating system of the internet. Pete makes a lot of money off of other peoples love of Disney. And thousands who chat on this board help hi, make that money. Now when another site with a similar name threatens to cut into that profitability then they have to change their name, interesting.

The only problem with this scenario is that if they so choose, the real Disney could crush this site like an aluminum can if they wanted to and it would be gone tomorrow. When one makes their money living in the murky area between copyright infringement and not quite copyright infringement they need to be real careful how they operate and what they say is a copyright infringement by another site.

In the end I come here and post here because I enjoy it, but believe me if at any point this site is gone, or I can no longer post here it will in no way diminish my love for and enjoyment of my trips to the World.

[Planogirl]

I think that the Dis and Disney have an understanding if I've heard it right or at least they used to. It might be that the Dis has permission to use certain images.

How long has DisLive been around? I don't like this, it seems similar to when Disney went after the daycare center for having Disney images on the wall. I always looked at any of that as free advertising, within reason of course.

I hope that this is resolved amicably and DisLive doesn't have to shut down. The thought of that definitely makes some things look pretty ugly right now.

[jsoren11]

:mic: Let's say you open a bagel shop called "cheesebagelsnstuff" that sells only cheese bagels and inside the shop, they had a mariachi band. your shop is so popular that you open a coffee shop called "cheesebagelscafe" next door that people can sit in and watch the mariachi band while sipping a latte, then your coffee shop is so popular that you open a dance floor next door called "cheesebagelsntwist" where people can dance to the mariachi music.

A competitor across the street sees your success and decides to offer street side seating with a view of your shop where people can sit, dance, drink lattes, and eat cheese bagels and he decides to call it "cheesebagelsnwatch"

fair?
:mic:

[INDISMOM]

:mic: Let's say you open a bagel shop called "cheesebagelsnstuff" that sells only cheese bagels and inside the shop, they had a mariachi band. your shop is so popular that you open a coffee shop called "cheesebagelscafe" next door that people can sit in and watch the mariachi band while sipping a latte, then your coffee shop is so popular that you open a dance floor next door called "cheesebagelsntwist" where people can dance to the mariachi music.

A competitor across the street sees your success and decides to offer street side seating with a view of your shop where people can sit, dance, drink lattes, and eat cheese bagels and he decides to call it "cheesebagelsnwatch"

fair?
:mic:

Apples and oranges -- DISLIVE.com is not out to make a profit.

Also, I am fairly certain web addresses cannot be copyrighted.

[crashbb]

:mic: Let's say you open a bagel shop called "cheesebagelsnstuff" that sells only cheese bagels and inside the shop, they had a mariachi band. your shop is so popular that you open a coffee shop called "cheesebagelscafe" next door that people can sit in and watch the mariachi band while sipping a latte, then your coffee shop is so popular that you open a dance floor next door called "cheesebagelsntwist" where people can dance to the mariachi music.

A competitor across the street sees your success and decides to offer street side seating with a view of your shop where people can sit, dance, drink lattes, and eat cheese bagels and he decides to call it "cheesebagelsnwatch"

fair?
:mic:

Actually the correct analogy would be:

Someone opened a store called "cheesebagelsnstuff" with a mariachi band and it was so popular that people flocked to it from all around. They opened on the Stock Exchange as "CBS". So, you opened a store called "CBStalk" where people could talk about their love of the bagels and mariachi band. Someone else opened a store where people who couldn't make it to "cheesebagelsnstuff" could watch streaming video from there and called it "CBSvideo". You both based your name on the original store name - the second store is not based on your store's name and is not in competition with your store (especially as they are not selling anything).

Fair?

[tlens]

Apples and oranges -- DISLIVE.com is not out to make a profit.

Also, I am fairly certain web addresses cannot be copyrighted.


Exactly. It all hinges on whether it's hindering the business of the DIS. Can't see how it possibly could be. In fact he should be thanking the other site because people seeing the live streams may want to book travel. Well, if they are already confused thinking they are affiliated, naturally they would come to his agency to book....correct? I think an apology is owed.

[IloveDMB]

Actually the correct analogy would be:

Someone opened a store called "cheesebagelsnstuff" with a mariachi band and it was so popular that people flocked to it from all around. They opened on the Stock Exchange as "CBS". So, you opened a store called "CBStalk" where people could talk about their love of the bagels and mariachi band. Someone else opened a store where people who couldn't make it to "cheesebagelsnstuff" could watch streaming video from there and called it "CBSvideo". You both based your name on the original store name - the second store is not based on your store's name and is not in competition with your store (especially as they are not selling anything).

Fair?

Haha, thanks for making an intelligent analogy. dislive.com is not profiting, therefore should not pose a threat.

[jsoren11]

Apples and oranges -- DISLIVE.com is not out to make a profit.

Also, I am fairly certain web addresses cannot be copyrighted.

everybody is out to make a profit. websites profit from traffic. even if they start as a simple non advert site, sooner or later, the ads will appear.

[jsoren11]

Actually the correct analogy would be:

Someone opened a store called "cheesebagelsnstuff" with a mariachi band and it was so popular that people flocked to it from all around. They opened on the Stock Exchange as "CBS". So, you opened a store called "CBStalk" where people could talk about their love of the bagels and mariachi band. Someone else opened a store where people who couldn't make it to "cheesebagelsnstuff" could watch streaming video from there and called it "CBSvideo". You both based your name on the original store name - the second store is not based on your store's name and is not in competition with your store (especially as they are not selling anything).

Fair?


touche':thumbsup2

[Cinders Mum]

i am probably being a bit blonde here, I am still unclear, if there is to be a grace period as per Pete's post, is DisLive being freed to continue to operate whilst this is being dealt with via the lawyers?

[MonicaInFlorida]

This is the craziest party that could ever be.

[puzzifootin]

Okay, someone contact the Spam people, their name is being used daily without their permission or reimbursement.