Would this be allowed or not? As in legal.

[master412160]

I am stuck with this wonder for some time now and want it gone, answered.

I sold my second project many months ago. It was on phpbb had some 6000 posts etc ....

Now after I sold it the new owner changed it, the site I maintained was gone.

It changed to IPB, some 3 sites merged with it etc ...

Then the new owner sold it to someone, that guy sold it to and finally it got merged into a very big webmaster site.

Now my question is

Am I allowed to use the backup I made right before I sold the site? And re-start the project from that backup? Instead of starting over from 0 use a current foundation.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Well if it's been merged with a bigger forum, I don't see the problem in using the database. It's not like your stealing from them anyway and if they are a much bigger forum I don't think they would mind.

But don't hold me to it.

 

[master412160]

Hmm I guess you are right. The newest owner won't even know its the same site if he ever sees it again with clicking a link.

 

[CyberFreak]

All i am going to say is this... If you want a quiet and easy life, start from scratch.

Well if it's been merged with a bigger forum, I don't see the problem in using the database. It's not like your stealing from them anyway and if they are a much bigger forum I don't think they would mind.

But don't hold me to it.

Whether or not it has been merged with another site is totally irrelevant. Judging by your post you wouldn't do it if the site hadn't been merged but as it has been merged you will. There is no difference as you are doing the same actions. If the site was sold, then the site is now property of the new owner and do you think they would want someone using a database that they paid for?

 

[DarkRaven]

You sold the database ergo the database is not yours, ergo it's stealing. Whether that holds legally, it's still immoral, as you're holding on to a site you already sold.

 

[master412160]

Well the site I'm going to start again with is by far not the site that got finally merged into a large webmaster site.

I don't see how they will know its even the site that got sold.

I'll just have to make some changes to make it a site that can't be connected to anything in the past.

I also am willing to take a risk like this, what could they do or demand of me though if they find out about my new site started from a old backup?

You sold the database ergo the database is not yours, ergo it's stealing. Whether that holds legally, it's still immoral, as you're holding on to a site you already sold.

Hmmm yes true but all is vanished from how the site looked when I sold it. Only some posts that won't be noticed will be the same as on that webmaster site. And chances that someone will view a post that is very old and then also view it on that site I sold is impossible.

It might be nice to start from scratch indeed, bigger of a challenge.

I'm still not sure what to do now.

 

[D]

You could ask the permission of the current owner of the website if you can use the old dated db you have, if he says no i would suggest you delete it from your hardrive 🙂

 

[Lone Wolf]

But it depends, was it just the users that got merged or users and posts/topics? If it was just users, I don't see why using the database for the posts/topics would matter.

 

[master412160]

Well the site had 600 users around 20 000 posts when it got merged

But when I sold it it had 200+ users 6000 posts, and topics unknown.

So you see its not that damaging to the guy who is now the owner of the content on his large webmaster site.

As I'm starting from something way back that is on phpbb, and not on VB the current big webmaster site is on.

You could ask the permission of the current owner of the website if you can use the old dated db you have, if he says no i would suggest you delete it from your hardrive

Yeah I guess I'm going to do that.

If he says no I can always just start from the site but delete all posts-topics-users but keep the mods that are installed on it. :cheer:

 

[D]

Yeah I guess I'm going to do that.

If he says no I can always just start from the site but delete all posts-topics-users but keep the mods that are installed on it. :cheer:

I dont see any problem with using the actual forum itself but from scratch with the users etc; unless it had a premium or custom skin etc;

 

[master412160]

It had no paid work on it when I sold it of a custom style or so....

I just wonder what can the current owner of the site I sold to do?

I mean I use a very old database of nothing compared to the site that got merged finally.

 

[AnAccount]

I would really save everyone and anyone a lot of trouble and simply just start over. Of course, it never hurts to ask, but at the same time, you're really better off starting over.

 

[David]

You really signed a legal contract when you made the exchange of the database and money etc. Legally, you are not allowed to reuse what you have sold as per the contract, in any attempt to restart a forum or add to another. Even if they don't know, Google will, as there will be duplicate topics and posts and that will definitely raise a few questions, eg. are you reusing a sold database? Did the person who sold the database to the other person, sell the database to you? etc. The content is really copyrighted to the owner, and that owner is not you anymore, so I would save a lot of trouble by starting fresh and not using old databases which effectively are still active.

 

[Kaiser.]

You really signed a legal contract when you made the exchange of the database and money etc. Legally, you are not allowed to reuse what you have sold as per the contract, in any attempt to restart a forum or add to another. Even if they don't know, Google will, as there will be duplicate topics and posts and that will definitely raise a few questions, eg. are you reusing a sold database? Did the person who sold the database to the other person, sell the database to you? etc. The content is really copyrighted to the owner, and that owner is not you anymore, so I would save a lot of trouble by starting fresh and not using old databases which effectively are still active.

Have to agree with david, the backups you have are technically not yours anymore so you shouldn't use it.

 

[Mik.]

I'd go with Fowler's decision just to be safe. Although you did all that work you SOLD it to them which maybe means you don't own that database anymore.

 

[Justin]

I would do the moral thing and not use it, technically you sold it. 🙂

 

[master412160]

Good and bad news after talking with the owner.


The good I can keep all modifications and users, +some topics like forum rules.

The bad I have to delete all content like articles made or discussions in off-topic forums etc ....

I can live with that!

 

[Nebulous]

Why not just start a new site fresh?

 

[master412160]

To save time? And keep the old user database and hope to get some of them to be active again.

 

[AnAccount]

You really signed a legal contract when you made the exchange of the database and money etc. Legally, you are not allowed to reuse what you have sold as per the contract, in any attempt to restart a forum or add to another. Even if they don't know, Google will, as there will be duplicate topics and posts and that will definitely raise a few questions, eg. are you reusing a sold database? Did the person who sold the database to the other person, sell the database to you? etc. The content is really copyrighted to the owner, and that owner is not you anymore, so I would save a lot of trouble by starting fresh and not using old databases which effectively are still active.

Good point, that. It would save the bother of people thinking you copied the other forum or that the other forum copied you. Not a very good way to start a new community, so I'd definitely start over if I were you.