can a hosting company steal your idea?

do you ever wonder if your hosting company might steal your content? they have access to all of your files so how safe is it to trust your host.

 

I have seen free hosts do this. Paid hosting companies make more of customers so it is not in thier best interest. It cost alot of money to get a new customer.

Most people do not know how much time effort or money is spent per customer sign up. That is why most companies try to keep customers because it takes so much to get each new one.

Free hosting sites have done it. Paid ones very few would ever be that stupid.

 

considering it can be worth 150,000$ for a lawsuit, I think most of the paid hosts would not take the chance...they would rather have yours and everyone else's business...all it would take is one class action lawsuit and they are through.

 

You know, I've often wondered the same thing. After all, if they just steal your "idea" and not your entire website's content, then you will really have a hard time proving it. For instance, they see some exceptional traffic stats in your niche, they basically just duplicate what you've done. They can even see where your traffic is coming from!

 

it's depend i think. if your site got a high traffic and pagerank, they might. coz they can access to your content . but normmally i dont think any paid host will do this. they will rather spend time on getting new customer than copy the customer's ideas. ^^

 

And if their not stealing your idea or content, I'm pretty sure their viewing it ;]

 

I dont think they have enough time and resource to view and use user data and make use of it. and surely they have full excess to customer account.

 

That's ilegal and serios hosting compoanys don't do that + my ideas are not that big to steal )

 

I think as long as you stick with reliable hosting companies you won't have a problem, but some of them if you get high ranking and lot of uniques they will drop you.

alex66

 

I've wondered this... but as said, it's not in their best interest if they're a legitimate host.

 

If you are with reputed and reliable host provider you are more in safe hand in my opinion.

 

I get this question all the time via my sales form "will you steal my website?"

serially, i have more important things to do, like washing my hair, feeding my gold fish ect... I really coudnt be bothered getting into a lawsuit and i woudnt do something like that as my company is at major risk there... Its just pointless

 

I agree, although i've heard stories etc.

 

If you are worried, go for a big name. they are unlikely to steal your idea. if they do, you can always take action.

 

Thats a double edged sword, but a good point Some big companies are a bit, lets say, naughty. If thye do decide to steal your content its maybe going to be your word against there's, but they're probably much less likely to do so.

 

i am suspecting some users at GAF selling scripts and clones are those who are running their own small hosting company.

 

this is why I got a registered trademark and copyrights

 

You do realise a TM means nothing unless its registerd, which costs money.?

 

Anybody can steal your whole website just by saving it to their computer. The only thing your host has access to that other people don't is php/asp source code but thats pretty easy to clone unless your site is like ebay/amazon/digg or something.

 

Yeah, it's as simple as clicking 'save as...' I had a Design preivew stolen that way.