Internet auction company eBay has filed an action in the US
District Court in San Jose against rival auction site BidBay. The
suit alleges that BidBay has imitated its look and feel to profit
from the established reputation and goodwill enjoyed by eBay. The
company is also concerned that cosmetic similarities between the
web sites may lead to public confusion.
The appearance of the BidBay web site mirrors certain features
associated with eBay, including its colour scheme and logo. The
incorporation of additional functions into the BidBay site, such as
the provision of a facility for users to keep note of their
purchases and sales, have also been attacked by eBay.
According to BidBay, its domain name was purchased by its
present CEO George Tannous through an eBay auction. He set up the
rival site because he felt that the eBay services were not
user-friendly. There has been no official response from BidBay on
the lawsuit, but the E-Commerce Times reports that Tannous intends
to counter-sue eBay.
