Listing businesses

[Silverfern]

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Hi

Does anyone know what i should do with regards to creating a website and listing a certain type of business, without getting their consent?

E.g, if you're searching for carpenters, and I create a list of them across england, free to the carpenter, but if I can't contact them via e-mail, can I use them on a list, if it's actually good free advertising for them? would also be showing merchant ads somewhere on site!

I'm thinking no, but would welcome any help, as it will save me wasting time on a few website ideas, phoning or writing to them would cost a bit to much (time and money)

Anyone know about this

Thanks

Ian

[Mogga]

Suck it and see - as they say!

[drivetowin]

I dont think theres a problem per se but it depends where you're going to source the original information from - be careful if you add info from yellow pages or thomson as they own the copyright to the information in their directories.

[Swiss]

I dont think theres a problem per se but it depends where you're going to source the original information from - be careful if you add info from yellow pages or thomson as they own the copyright to the information in their directories.

I've often wondered how they can prove that you have used information taken from thir directories - Unless some of the listed companies have sperate phone numbers for Yellow Pages listings...

[drivetowin]

Yeah I'm not sure how they do it - don't know if it's like mailing lists you buy where there are selected 'seed' addresses.

[Silverfern]

That may be my problem, finding lists that arent in yellow pages or thomsons local, I was thinking of going down that route, but it may become more trouble than it's worth, correct me if i'm wrong, but can you source information from lists in libraries? instead of yellow pages etc?

[eskimo]

You try companies house. I'm sure that information is considered in the public domain.

I've often wondered how they can prove that you have used information taken from thir directories

Apparently trivia books, which just list loads of facts, sometimes put in bogus facts so they can prove when the contents have been copied.

[Robber]

Regarding using other directories for sourcing your data, as mentioned, they won't like it. Most of them suggest that the data is seeded with some phoney entries, hence if anyone is found using these phoney entries the data is obviously copied. Whether they do actually do this I don't know.

I wouldn't think it's the permission of the tradesman you need, there are lots of directories that happily list such businesses for free so that they can then phone them up to try and sell them a more prominent advert.

If you have a budget the best way to do this is buy in a database (no copyright issues and saves a lot of work!). There are a few of these out there, the main one that springs to mind is Dunn and Bradstreet (or something like that). We have had a couple of others phone us up lately but I can't remember their names.

Hope that helps.