Definitions of “backlinks”, “trademark splitting”, “trademark hiding” and “black hat” methods

Backlinks

These are hyperlinks returning to a given website, as in links back to it. They are links from one webpage back to another. They are critically important for webpages getting recognised and rating highly on search engine results pages. Backlinks using a trademark e.g. linking the words “snake man” to a site not authorised by the trademark owner, that cause the usurping of the trademark owner’s webpage is illegal under both trademarks and trade practices laws. This includes links from pages with trademark use as "anchor text", adjacent text, or even same page placement of the trademarked words or similar for a similar business

Trademark Splitting

Trademark splitting, is the dishonest practice of splitting the words of a trademark on a webpage with non-trademarked words between and then optimising the page via backlinks using the trademark (usually not split) to rate highly on search engines to usurp the lawful trademark owner.

An example of this may be a webpage with the words “snake” and “man” placed at various locations on the page, but never as “snake man” or “snakeman” (both trademarks), and then enhancing the Search engine optimisation, or “SEO” of the page via “snakeman” or “snake man” backlinks. While it’s possible to usurp a trademark owner’s webpage by backlinks alone, as in having many of them, trademark usage on the page or the practice of splitting the trademark, on the page, e.g. “snake catcher man” (using all words in the “snake man” trademark) as opposed to “snake man”, make it easier to rank highly in searches for the trademark.

Trademark Masking

This is the practice of hiding the trademark’s use and presence on a given webpage from the viewer. This may be done by making the text the same colour as the background, hiding the words in source code or meta-tags, not visible to the person viewing the webpage, or similar. It is used for the purpose of being found and rated highly by search engines for the trademarked words and not seen by the trademark owner if they inspect the site to see why it usurps their own on search engine results.

Black Hat Methods

This is a generic term for methods used to gain position on search engines via means not visible to users, such as hidden text and metatags.

Called “black hat” methods, they are often regarded as dishonest or used for the dishonest purpose of usurping a trademark owner. Also included here are backlinks deliberately placed by trademark bootleggers in hard to find places such as foreign language websites, video or photo-sharing sites and so on, which will be found by search engines, but not necessarily by the trademark owner.

Please note, Smuggled.com/Kotabi Publishing/Snakebusters and the Snake Man Raymond Hoser are wise to the practices of backlinking, trademark splitting, trademark masking and other “blackhat methods”. We have successfully taken legal action against people using these methods and will continue to take action against those who engage in it to usurp our legal trademark rights.

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