Information request by "Nameshield"

thesto

One of my customers seems to have hosted a site that upset a random French company. That was several years ago. They have hired Nameshield, another French shop that monitors for brand name violations online.

Now they are asking me to disclose my customer's information so they can "notify them of their client's rights". Currently they ask by email only.

I'm not happy to rat out any customer just by email. So I told them to get a court order against the company that sold the hosting package first.

Anyone got experience with stuff like this? Do consider that nothing really illegal was done here. No malware, spamming, sex stuff, etc. I don't know what they wrote on that site, but I guess they used the brand and said it's bad or something. Seems like a free speech issue to me.

sanvit

Why not just forward the mails from Nameshield to your customer? IMO that will save you a lot of time/effort

Dupondt

@thesto said:
Now they are asking me to disclose my customer's information so they can "notify them of their client's rights". Currently they ask by email only.

I'm not happy to rat out any customer just by email. So I told them to get a court order against the company that sold the hosting package first.

That was the correct action to take. Otherwise, your client could likely sue you for disclosing data to an unauthorised third party. By protecting your client you are also protecting yourself.

@thesto said:
Anyone got experience with stuff like this? Do consider that nothing really illegal was done here. No malware, spamming, sex stuff, etc. I don't know what they wrote on that site, but I guess they used the brand and said it's bad or something. Seems like a free speech issue to me.

Unless they show up with a court order or subpoena that applies to you (foreign court order might not be valid, check with your own legal advisers), they can stuff it.

thesto

@sanvit said:
Why not just forward the mails from Nameshield to your customer? IMO that will save you a lot of time/effort

Yes, already forwarded it.

@Dupondt said: Otherwise, your client could likely sue you for disclosing data to an unauthorised third party. By protecting your client you are also protecting yourself.

So I'll insist on a court order in the country of incorporation. Good point on being liable the other direction.