Analytics for an old website

[Gavin Scott]

Here's the scenario - someone is trying to demonstrate the validity of their trademark by showing the relevant examiners that a website was up and running from around 2001, and was viewed by people outwith the part of the UK they are from.

There were no analytics or other tracking software/code embedded on the site. The Wayback time machine certainly shows the pages, but doesn't provide that people in England viewed the site.

Is there a way to gain this information if the original host for the site says they can't help?

Any advice gratefully received.

[Neil Jones]

Here's the scenario - someone is trying to demonstrate the validity of their trademark by showing the relevant examiners that a website was up and running from around 2001, and was viewed by people outwith the part of the UK they are from.

There were no analytics or other tracking software/code embedded on the site. The Wayback time machine certainly shows the pages, but doesn't provide that people in England viewed the site.

Is there a way to gain this information if the original host for the site says they can't help?

Any advice gratefully received.

I would be very surprised if you can prove anything at all after nine years.

Web stats can be misread, or even misleading (such as, for example, I can set my web browser to go through a proxy server in Outer Mongolia for example, and every site that I would visit through that server would report that I visited the site from Outer Mongolia, even though I'm in the UK).

I'd argue that the only proof you're going to have after all this time, is the pages in the Wayback Machine, and proof (such as an invoice) that you had the hosting back in 2001. Even if you had the logs you'd have no way of breaking them down to how many visits came from England, how many from Scotland, etc. They'd all come back as being just UK. In theory a court order would be the logical step but I very much doubt any major provider will have any records going back nine years, since lots of providers have either gone under, merged or re-branded.

However if the trademark was registered at the Intellectual Property Office (aka the Patent Office), it's valid for ten years under either you renew it or it expires. Because anybody can set up a website for next to nothing and obtain images and content for, well, nothing really, having a trademark on a website doesn't really prove anything.

[cdd]

Maybe this, albeit not free, might be of help:

http://domain-history.domaintools.com/

[Schwing]

Tricky. I've emailed a colleague in Business Development with the question for you and I'll let you know what they say.

[Gavin Scott]

Thanks chaps I appreciate it.

And welcome Schwing

[Inspector Sands]

You didn't use the name 'Ping' in the past did you?

[Schwing]

You didn't use the name 'Ping' in the past did you?

Who? Me? No. Why do you ask?