Ryanair confirmed that 4 more German screenscraper ticket-tout websites have signed legally binding declarations to stop scraping Ryanair’s website and selling Ryanair’s flights (at inflated prices) to German consumers.
These are the latest of a growing number of screenscraper websites all over Europe that wisely chose to stop misleading consumers and avoid court proceedings in Ireland.
Ryanair has launched proceedings in the Dublin High Court against other screenscrapers (including traveltopia, airlinedirect, billigflug) who continue to blatantly ignore consumer rights, and who remain in breach of Ryanair.com Terms of Use and property rights.
Screenscraping involves gaining unauthorised access to the Ryanair website and mis-selling of flights to consumers with exorbitant charges and mark-ups which are hidden from consumers. Following the May 2009 decision of the Hamburg courts that screenscraping to resell Ryanair’s flights is unlawful, Ryanair continues to pursue screenscraper websites in the courts in Ireland.
In the interest of consumers Ryanair allows “price comparison only” websites to access its timetable and pricing information, for an annual charitable donation of €100, in order to compare Ryanair’s guaranteed lowest fares with those of high fare, fuel surcharging airlines. Ryanair’s licence agreement is open to all genuine “price comparison only” websites and already many have signed up.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“These legal commitments by screenscraping websites are the latest positive development in Ryanair’s relentless pro-consumer campaign against internet ticket-touts. Genuine price comparison websites can enter into a licence agreement with Ryanair, for a charitable donation of just €100, which will allow them to provide consumers with legitimate price comparison. However, Ryanair will not allow consumers to be subjected to sneaky hidden charges by unauthorised screenscraping ticket-touts.
“We are confident that through Ryanair’s sustained pressure and with the assistance of European consumer agencies, unauthorised screenscraping and overcharging of consumers will eventually be outlawed throughout Europe, to the benefit of consumers and legitimate businesses”.
