Pet store review site

[dynamixcoder]

im thinking of starting and hosting a petstore review site,

ive seen too many people complain about pet stores here and there so im wondering if i put up the money and start a site with forums deticated to customers with good and bad reviews if anyone would use it or spread the word about it...

what does everyone think?

[Merrilyn]

Much as I think it would be a good idea, and probably a great help, i really do think it would open up a legal can of worms, and you could find yourself on the receiving end of defamation suits galore. :?

[dynamixcoder]

here in the USA its considered opinion and fact review,

so if i have a BAD time at a local store and decide to blog about it they cant fight it scince it actually happened

[dynamixcoder]

simply put freadon of speech..

[Merrilyn]

Yep, I understand what you're saying, but I seem to remember not so long ago a case where a US website was sued for defamation by a Local Fish Store, and from what I can recall, they won. The owners and administrators of the website lost their homes over it.

I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but I'm sure Proteus will remember. I'll check with him.

I'll also check with taksan on the legal standing in Australia. He's a lawyer.

[dynamixcoder]

yeah ill check the legal standing and what guidelines i need to follow in order to do this... or if its even doable.

[DIY]

Do a search on

Robert Novak and petswarehouse.com

I believe this is what Merrilyn's referring to, scary stuff - I certainly would be very careful with your idea, as much as it would be useful to end consumers.

[dynamixcoder]

yeah i remember this, see the funny thing is Ohio (the state territory im in) any judge would throw out a case like this because it defies freedom of speech! the reason this happened is because new york has bad lidigation laws in this area, but ohio protects someones right to speech as long as its FACT and truth or opinion.

but i agree that is some messed up stuff, Robert Novak got lucky with a bad judge and apparently is a big pansy.

if this really was a problem then sites like angieslist.com or ebay members would be sued for leaving feedback on a company or contractor.

[DIY]

apparently is a big pansy.

:lol: :lol: is that fact, truth or opinion :lol: :lol:

[dynamixcoder]

its opinion, I dare him to sue me.... got a family of lawyers that eat these kind of people for breakfast.

i see the docket on this case too, motion to dismiss denied when lawyer explained the ignorace of amendment.... sad!


it would be defined in this state as malicious prosecution and its simple to counter sue.

to be honest all this stuff doesnt scare me, i dont think i would allow sites to be rated but actual stores.

[dynamixcoder]

check this out LOL:

Novak #8 is another $40 million dollar lawsuit Novak filed against Tucows for the loss of his "petswarehouse.com" domain name.

thats funny as heck, this guy got lawsuit happy wait a judge that obviously did uphold the law... he got lucky is what happened.

[dynamixcoder]

i mean a judge that didnt uphold the law... sorry

[dynamixcoder]

believe it or not alot of his lawsuits are dismissed aganst others once the judge got changed so i think this was a over hyped idiot (my opinion) that couldnt handle reviews about his business that he caused... once again sad..

im still checking into the legalities to this but im sure im gonna be good starting it without issues

[Proteus]

Dynamix, the idea of a review site has been done too many times to mention, none of those sites exist anymore due to legal headaches and other issues.

I would strongly advise against doing it unless you want a mountain of headaches yourself, and or potential legal costs.

Given that 1/2 of the brains trust behind this site, and many others is from Ohio I think you might want to reconsider your statement above about any judge throwing things out, I know for a fact this is the total opposite to what has happenned in the past.

An opinion is one thing, but if a review is made and it can be determined in a court of law that a potential sale was lost due to those comments, whether factual or made up, well lets just say you are going up a creek and you dont have a paddle.

Sadly due to greedy businesses and other elements I would not take the risk. This is based on Australian and U.S. law for which I am well versed on when it comes to internet stuff... some of this knowledge is by choice, the rest is due to bogus claims made by businesses in the past where I have had to defend this website and/or a member here.

[dynamixcoder]

well then its settled... i wont do it lol

[Proteus]

I wouldnt say it needs to be settled.... just offering some advice based on what I have seen and have come across.

Sadly due to the actions of a few it ruins it for others.

[dynamixcoder]

idk i just get tired just like everyone else of companies disreguard of proper information just to make a quick buck... but its nothing new....