Fine Gael website brought to you by the BBC?

[anewbeginning]

Is the BBC design copywrited? If so, possibly there is a legal issue here.

If not, then there is no issue.

And let's not blame FG for it for a start. You hardly think Richard Brutan, etc are experts in CSS and decided to turn a blind eye.

If I had to choose between a politician who was an expert on economic matters and an expert in website design, I know which I'd prefer.

[jonathan_rofflesby]

Seeing as politics.ie has already perfected the political website, when will they be launching a political party to rival the likes of the mighty FF/FG? It is really funny that FG copied the bbc's website though.. think of the consequences, a few more FF votes from the keyboard warriors?

[Open Source]

I don’t know what all the fuzz is about,

Putting a complicated site together is still a very difficult task even more when
you use code snippets and you don’t write every single line of code your self.

The only comparing file is the css it has some similarities, but the html is different

If you looked closer then you could see that:
jquery.cookie.js
jquery.js
jquery.imgareaselect.js
jquery.JSON.js
ui.core.js
ui.sortable.js
ui.draggable.js
is used – from the js library - jQuery framework jQuery: The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library

Also the bbc framework is encrypted so it's not possible to use or just do a copy/paste job.
And to my knowledge there isn’t a developer in the world who looks or uses part of any kind
of scripting to enhance their product. If we didn’t the speed of progress of scripting or whatever would be zero.

[VeryVert]

The new website is not a direct copy of the bbc website. That will be apparent when people get to use our new site. The site that some people have viewed at the .org address is not necessarily what people will see tomorrow.

And now, in plain English: having been exposed on the interweb - including what seems to be fairly irrefutable evidence by a BBC web developer - as ripping off sections of the BBC's source code, we are now resorting to the plausible deniability tactics suggested by another poster. And so, er, we've pulled finegael.org and will spend the next 12 hours before the launch frantically scrubbing the html to remove traces of, eh, 'inspiration' from the BBC's site.

And, ahem, "this is just distracting us from the real issues and you are all terrible people for pointing this out instead off blahblahblah..."

Now be off with you! And remember, Fianna Fail are the enemy! Not us! We're the good guys. We have a contract! Sign our contract!!!

This is a prospective party of Government blatantly copying the design and concepts from a major international website.

Coming soon. FineHoo! (Fine Gael website using the Yahoo design).

Then FineBook, MyEnda, and then, well who knows.......

Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present: GreenBook!!!

[Mr.De-Regulation]

Other than collour similarities, i dont see how it is the same.

[Cyberspaced]

Is there any particular reason why any voter would give a flying toss about this?

There's a saving-grace line for the FF canvassers though..." Ah jaysus ya couldn't trust them sure they stole css scripting from the BBC".....

[CookieMonster]

I don’t know what all the fuzz is about,

Putting a complicated site together is still a very difficult task even more when
you use code snippets and you don’t write every single line of code your self.

The only comparing file is the css it has some similarities, but the html is different

If you looked closer then you could see that:
jquery.cookie.js
jquery.js
jquery.imgareaselect.js
jquery.JSON.js
ui.core.js
ui.sortable.js
ui.draggable.js
is used – from the js library - jQuery framework jQuery: The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library

Also the bbc framework is encrypted so it's not possible to use or just do a copy/paste job.
And to my knowledge there isn’t a developer in the world who looks or uses part of any kind
of scripting to enhance their product. If we didn’t the speed of progress of scripting or whatever would be zero.

Vincent Gribbin, is that you?

[Shylock]

Why re-invent the wheel? The BBC website is probably one of the best and most visited in the news/politcis world, so whay wouldn't try and copy the format and layout?
I mean the RTE site is crap, crap, crap to paraphrase Albert. And the FF website the same.
Well done FG! All they need to do now is steal a leader from some other party or country!

[Shylock]

PLUS that piture is dreadful!

They look like giant oafs on O'Connell Street! But then again thats what they are!

[jmcc]

Just got an email back from Ciaran Conlon, Fine Gael Communications Director. I genuinely appreciate the fact they got back to us so quickly and swiftly. It seems to confirm that finegael.org is indeed a Mount Street FG website, but may not respresent the final product, which is expected to go live tomorrow. Ciaran does confirm the getafreelance ad was indeed placed by FG.

Again, I want to point out that I appreciate the fact that FG got back so quick. Most impressive.

This is the line that will cause most problems:
"The new website is not a direct copy of the bbc website."

That would seem to confirm that the new FG website is a derivative work. This is a clusterfsck of a problem for FG as there may well be copyright and intellectual property theft questions to be answered about the new FG website.

Regards...jmcc