Ryanair wins against screenscraper Atrapalo


7 Sep 2010

Ryanair can publicly describe screenscrapers as ‘illegal sellers’, ‘parasites of the sector’ and ‘dead wood’ but not as ‘bastards’ when defending its exclusive distribution policy, the Commercial Court in Barcelona has ruled.

In a case brought by screenscraper website Atrapalo, the Court has decided that Ryanair is entitled under the Spanish Constitution to exclusively distribute its low fares on www.ryanair.com.

The Spanish Court also ruled that Ryanair’s comparative advertisements complied with Spanish law.

“This Spanish court victory is another milestone in Ryanair’s fight against internet screenscrapers and resellers,” said Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara. “Websites such as Atrapalo have for too long been getting away with unauthorised reselling of Ryanair’s flights, with the addition of charges which consumers don’t pay when they book directly with Ryanair. 

Ryanair is pleased that the Spanish Court has recognised Ryanair’s constitutional right to exclusively sell its low fares on www.ryanair.com. This policy is at the core of Ryanair’s low-cost/low-fare business model and at the heart of our ongoing pro-consumer fight against the unauthorised use of Ryanair’s website.

Genuine price comparison only websites, who wish to present Ryanair’s low fares information to consumers, as opposed to reselling Ryanair flights with additional fees and charges, can enter into a licence agreement with Ryanair to provide price comparison-only information. If Atrapalo is genuinely interested in providing an honest price comparison service, it is welcome to sign up to this licence which is subject to a charitable donation of €100.

Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com