Stolen Google reviews

[james2004]

Hi, an ex employee has started a website and taken legitimate google reviews she had whilst with us and put them on her own website representing them as given to her firm. They are from 2-3 years ago and she started his firm 6 months ago. Can she do this legally. The reviews are from client and they do not know about them.
Any ideas what i can do

 

[fisicx]

Have you spoken to her?

How has she embedded the rewiews on her website? Are they still showing on your google profile?

 

[james2004]

the reviews are on each page on the site, they are still on our profile.
Ive not spoken to her as i dont know my rights yet

 

[WaveJumper]

Anything in your ex-employees contract that perhaps you could refer too

 

[james2004]

not really, ill have a look

 

[fisicx]

The reviews belong to your business, she has no right to use them. A simple cease and desist letter from a solicitor should be sufficient to get them removed.

If they are embedded they will link back to your profile. If she has coppied the content they is breaking the Google's terms and they could penalise her site.

 

[smallclaimsassistance]

Two suggestions:

1)Why not write to the clients who provided them? Send them a template letter saying something along the lines of…”it’s been brought to my attention that a review I provided for X Ltd, for work carried out by X ltd for me, has been adopted by your business without my knowledge or consent. I write to give you formal notice that, unless you remove it within x days, I will be taking further action again you”. Send as many of these as you can get, together with a letter of your own threatening legal action if they don’t remove them. Cheaper initially than consulting IP lawyers, but if it doesn’t bring about the required result, get an IP lawyer onto it.

2) Leave your own Google review for them explaining who you are and where the specific reviews have come from. Only do this if a) you are CERTAIN of your facts, and b) you can prove EVERY WORD in your review. Keep it short, and if in doubt, don’t do this one. You don’t want to end up on the wrong end of a libel suit, which won’t happen if everything you say is correct and can be proven.

Dean