Halvorsen
Mike is definitely an Windows (Search Engine Marketer) living in Columbus, Ohio with more than 12 decades encounter while in the web site and Windows. Will work for a mega-site (Manta.com). Mike enjoys laughter, beer, whiskey, wine, as well as occasional fine cigar.
I'm #3. Your True internet business, Kaylor Know-how is #4.
I am an Windows in Columbus. I've lived in Ohio my overall living and as of July 2010, I became a resident of the wonderful metropolis of Columbus. So, when I moved down right here I changed the focus on my online site to account for that. Very last week, I started out acquiring emails from a shell organization (a dba) of Kalor Solutions. Beneath really are a copy with the emails I've received from Joe Rozsa, the operator of your enterprise “SEO Columbus.” Let it be known that I never replied to ANY with the ridiculous emails.
Disclaimer: I'm in no way affiliated with any Windows Agency or other Windows agency, including “SEO Columbus”. I'm a consultant who tends to work alone.
Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 9:12 PM
From: Joe Rozsa < joe. rozsa@seocolumbus.com>
Subject: Email from MichaelHalvorsen.com
Message Body:
Hello Mike,
I always appreciate seeing other people in this field, especially locally, and would love to see them all and then the industry succeed and grow, but I do have one request from you. I’ve had a couple of people calling me asking about you, seemingly confused because you refer to your firm name in a few places as “Columbus Windows” (Mine is “SEO Columbus”, of course, hence the confusion). I realize and appreciate the fact that you are trying to use the keyword friendly name as a enterprise reference from yourself, but it is causing quite a bit of confusion as that is not actually your corporation name, and is arguably a bit spammy – hence some in the damage to my own small business.
I just wanted to let you know about this confusion, so that hopefully you will come up with some other keyword combination to use that is not using the exact words in my trademarked firm name.
Again, I don’t want to come across too aggressive or to turn negative as I really do wish you personally all the best, but at the same time I do protect my service name by all means possible, and I always prevent confusion and damage to my business enterprise name from something that I can’t control (like someone else using my enterprise name).
You’re definitely not the first person that’s tried to capitalize on my business (intentional or not,
office code, it does have that effect). So I wanted to first ask you in a very friendly manner that you please remove any and all references to your own consulting services as “Columbus Windows”.
Thanks , and I appreciate your immediate attention to this.
Joe Rozsa
President
SEO Columbus
On Friday, February 4, the guy must have been jumping out of his skin freaking out about my stellar rankings because he called me and left me a voicemail. Apparently I had “a post that you, you know we came up on my trademark infringement software that I use.” What? What is “trademark infringement software”? I’m 24 a long time old. I understand how home business names work, I've a superior understanding how trademarks, registered trademarks, and patents work. I’m not some amateur kid who is new to internet business. I went to college for online business and have been working for myself on the Internet since 1998 when I was a mere 12 years old. Either way, the guy tried strong arming me into removing mention of his business name.
I ended up calling the guy back for some reason. During the two minute conversation, I told asked Mr. Joe Rozsa what he thought about the other Columbus Windows businesses using his “trademarked” Windows Columbus name and he said he had spoken to several of them and they were working to remedy the problem. The emails continued:
Fri, Feb four, 2011 at twelve:05 PM
From: Joe Rozsa <joe .rozsa @ seocolumbus .com>
Subject: Email from MichaelHalvorsen.com
Message Body:
Mike, I wanted to clear up one point of potential confusion for you, which may save you a lot of time and money instead of dealing with attorneys and litigation.
If you would like to use the keywords “Columbus Windows” on your page, title tags, and any place else you want them… by all means please do. I think that is what you were referring to when you mentioned the other sites out there. Those others such as AgentSEO use Columbus Windows, and I have no problem with that. MarketingAdept is from the process of correcting this matter on their online site as well.
However, you can NOT use “SEO Columbus” in your navigation bar, or in that order anywhere on your web page, including a blog article that makes you appear to customers that you are us, or somehow affiliated with us. You also can’t refer to your “company” as “Columbus Windows” because well, that isn’t your agency name, and because it is again capitalizing on my enterprise name.
I know all about keywords and Windows as you know. Heck, you’ve probably seen me speak at a conference somewhere. But I also know, and suspect that you do as well, about intellectual propertly and protecting one’s own assets. Seriously, you don’t want to get into something like that.
By all means use and target the keywords Columbus Windows, Akron Windows, Texas Windows… I really don’t care. I hope you do rank well. I really don’t care. Heck, I’m too busy to be accepting new clients anyway. Maybe I could refer some of my overflow to you if I knew you were really fantastic at Windows.
But do not use my organization name in an effort to confuse customers into thinking that you are somehow associated with me. THAT is all I am working to protect, which is a right that I have and will use.
After speaking to him, I decided I really didn’t care about ranking for “SEO Columbus” and decided to take the page down and 301 it to another “Columbus Windows” page on my web page.
Then I acquired YET another email from the guy. This one made me put everything back up again:
Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at twelve:32 PM
From: Joe Rozsa <joe.rozsa@seocolumbus.com>
Subject: Email from MichaelHalvorsen.com
Message Body:
Thanks Mike, I appreciate the cooperation on this.
As you may or may not know, I am legally required to pursue all known violations of my organization name according to trademark law. Not doing so could be considered “abandoning” the trademark.
Hopefully, there are no hard feelings because of this. I really like to get along with others in this field, especially locally, and am always looking at working with other decent Windows folks either by hiring them as employees or contractors, or perhaps inviting them to speak at our events.
I really wasn’t trying to be a jerk about any of this stuff. Like I said, I'm legally obligated to send out those notices. Sometimes people accept in a friendly manner, other times not so much. Nobody is ever thrilled about it. But I really do appreciate your cooperation.
Best regards,
Joe Rozsa
Mr. Rozsa must have realized I put things back up and decided to send another email.
Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 11:36 PM
From: Joe Rozsa <joe.rozsa@SEOColumbus.com>
Subject: Email from MichaelHalvorsen.com
Message Body:
Come on, Mike… you put my business name back up on your internet site? Can’t you just change your top nav to something else, like “Columbus Windows” or “SEO in Columbus Ohio” or something that isn’t MY EXACT COMPANY’S NAME?
Seriously man, I’m trying so hard to be nice right here and offer you something to go on that won’t get you in a lot of trouble. You also should know that since I am legally required to pursue this matter (literally), according to copyright law, this really isn’t going to just go away as some minor thing. I know you were claiming to “know how Windows works” and stuff, but seriously man… I’ve gone through this before with other people who had this same idea you do, and my attorneys have dealt with this before in defense of my business name. There are lots of legal precedents out there, so if you really want to be stubborn about it, I urge you to make the change first and then consult your attorney or at least look up some actual legal cases other than the heresay you talk about.
Again, I’ve been trying to be helpful right here and be nice to you, but you need to realize that as soon as I spend a nickel for my attorneys to pursue this, that’s it. Surely you know deep down inside of you that you can’t legally use my business name like you are right now. And it will be pretty easy to prove “initial interest confusion” (if you aren’t familiar with that term, again, I urge you to look it up and consult an attorney) and I could very easily obtain financial damages for that if I pursue it.
I’m trying every way possible to get you out of this without it costing you tons of time and money, over a worthless keyword (trust me on that one,
buy microsoft office Standard 2010, “SEO Columbus” brings in very little traffic) that you won’t ever outrank me for anyway (again, not something personal… but it’s my domain name, in a pretty well optimized site – I’m pretty much set while in the top spot for that one). I’m just saying… please take the friendly advice and stop using my service name on your internet page. You ARE violating my trademark and I really can (and absolutely will) pursue this and very, very easily obtain a judgment on this one. I take this stuff seriously, and that is why I’m trying to help you out with some advice before I have to do what I'm legally required to do and pursue the matter. Just some minor changes is all I’m asking for. As long as you aren’t using my company’s name, I don’t care what text you use. But you can’t use “SEO Columbus”.
Am I insane?
Update 2/7/2011:
I want to point something out that I found on Friday: according to the State of Ohio,
office Professional Plus 32bit key, “SEO Columbus” is not registered as a firm. The check that was used to register with the state bounced: http://goo.gl/k5yi2 (PDF link on State of Ohio website). When I spoke with him on the phone, he said he intended for that to happen. The state had to cancel it because they never heard back from him.
He bought the exact match domain and ranks because of that. I think he’s confused about his own business name because it’s definitely confusing the shit out of me.
And FYI, as of 2/7/2011, there is no registered trademark with the US Postal Service.
Update 2/7/2011 @ 830 PM EST:
Yet ANOTHER email from him. This time he’s playing a baby and trying to make himself out to be a good guy. I guess he didn’t realize I’d post this email too. There is commentary after the email.
Mon, Feb 7,
office 2007 Professional update key, 2011 at 8:11 PM
From: Joe Rozsa <joe.rozsa@seocolumbus.com>
Subject: Email from MichaelHalvorsen.com
Message Body:
If you can honestly tell me that this was about the keywords Windows Columbus, and all 9 or 10 of its unique visits per month, and NOT about piggybacking on my business name,
office Home And Student 2010 serial, then I would like to offer you my sincerest apologies for asking you to stop using my organization name. Heck, I’ll even offer you a text link and apology on my homepage.
You see… I’m not a Columbus Windows. I’m not accepting clients. I don’t want clients. I have a company. That’s it. A service with a name I wanted to protect based on information I was given by my attorneys a few decades ago. A agency with a name known with well regards before your smear campaign today.
You really should think about people and their families, and their livelihoods. I really don’t care about the smear stuff on Windows Columbus, because like I said, I don’t take clients anyway. Call my organization phone number, the message is “we don’t take clients”. You aren’t hurting me. You ARE hurting my little girls and my family and who knows who else when people say false things about their dad on sites which then appear on Google. All because you claim to really want some stupid keywords that generates 10 freaking visits a month, and maybe phone call or two that I don’t even return.
The smears on Windows Columbus are one thing, the smears on my name are something altogether. Pretty scummy and uncalled for, dude.
You can have the keywords. You can have a text link with me proclaiming you are the greatest Windows in Columbus. You can have the freaking domain name. I don’t care. I just wish you also had some maturity and class on how to handle matters one on one with people.
But if you really just wanted those keywords, then I am sorry. They are all yours. Not a peep from me. Sorry to have bothered you with my request.
Thanks for taking something so, so unimportant to you and really ruining someone else’s corporation with it.
Have fun with those 10 uniques per month. Hope it was worth it to you.
I’m not sure I’d want the domain. I’m just tired of all the bullshit that happens in this industry. It’s hard to put a face to WHO pulls the bullshit. This time it came from someone’s online business email address. There’s the name. There is the face. You started out the bullshit. I was going after the damn KEYWORDS. You claim to be an Windows. Do you know how to target keywords? Do you see me attempting to “piggyback” off any for the OTHER respectable Columbus Windows companies? Do you see a page for Lightbulb Interactive, or Agent Windows or how about People to My Internet site? Did you send any of those respectable Columbus Windows companies an email demanding they take down every mention of your “company” name that YOU DO NOT HAVE REGISTERED because a check bounced?
What attorney did you get that information from? Did you, as an Windows, do a Google search to find a “Columbus Attorney?” Did you pick the first Google result because Google had them ranked #1? I know basic copyright, trademark, and patent law. I learned it back when I was twelve many years old, back when I started my first Internet home business. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a single Columbus Attorney who would give you that bullshit. I thought you went after other people and had successful judgements?
Columbus, Ohio has 717,000 residents as from the 2000 Census. You mean to tell me that your website has had only 9 visits since December with “seo columbus” as a referring keyword with the #1 spot? Did you happen to think that the average Google reader could smell your shit without even needing a single click?
I’m not accepting your apology. I don’t want it. You’re a damn liar who thought they could take advantage of me because I’m a single person (not a organization) who can rank #3 for the phrase that DOES drive traffic, outranking your actual Actual home business website: Columbus Windows
In the minute and a half conversation I had with you, I told you wasn’t an idiot. The saying is true:
You can’t bullshit someone with a ########ing mustache:
Photo credit: Top Brass Photography
P.S. – I love everyone who commented. You guys make me enjoy the industry. Thanks for having my back.
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COMMENTS CLOSED February 11, 2011.
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