Copy/duplicate Ads

[powerx]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

We launched a job board recently and are looking for traffic. Is it ok to post jobs from other sites on behalf of those employers on our site (for free) and let candidates apply to those employers from the job ads on our site? We mean - posting/duplicating jobs from other sites by creating dummy employer accounts on our site and post their jobs to make it look like those employers posted them on our site. Is this legal? We are not going to make any money out of it - we are just trying to get them more applications and in the process, generate some traffic. Is it kind of those mash up sites that aggregate jobs from other job sites?

Please advise...

TIA

 

[Zigner]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

We launched a job board recently and are looking for traffic. Is it ok to post jobs from other sites on behalf of those employers on our site (for free) and let candidates apply to those employers from the job ads on our site? We mean - posting/duplicating jobs from other sites by creating dummy employer accounts on our site and post their jobs to make it look like those employers posted them on our site. Is this legal? We are not going to make any money out of it - we are just trying to get them more applications and in the process, generate some traffic. Is it kind of those mash up sites that aggregate jobs from other job sites?

Please advise...

TIA

Ahh, the ol' "is it ok to steal if it's only to further my own purposes" question.

 

[powerx]

We don't understand to what extent your reply is helpful.

 

[The Occultist]

And we don't understand why you think it's okay to steal.

 

[quincy]

powerx, if you want to offer employers free ad space so that you can increase the traffic to your site, you can do that. The employer can choose whether or not to place their ad on your site for free.

But DO NOT use the ad as it appears without the employer's permission, as there are trademark and copyright laws to consider. You do not want to infringe on either.

Employers have the right to pick where they place their ads. A daycare employer may not wish to place an employment ad on a porn website, for example, even if they could place the ad there for free.

Facts, on the other hand, are not copyrightable. If it is a verifiable fact that an employer is looking to fill positions, you can state that fact. You can say "XYZ Hardware is looking to hire sales people," and you can provide the contact information so that someone can apply for the position. That is a legal use of the trademarked name "XYZ Hardware" and that is a legal use of advertising material. You just cannot copy or duplicate an ad.

But, to avoid ALL legal risks, you would be wise to ask for permission to advertise their employment opportunities on your site before placing an ad for the employer. Most employers will not mind free advertising, if the website where the advertising appears does not harm the reputation of the employer in the process (as it would in the example of the pornography website I gave above).

Good luck.

 

[powerx]

Thank you very much, Quincy!

It is very helpful and informative.

 

[quincy]

You're welcome, powerx. Good luck with your job board.