Ryanair wins legal case against screenscraper site

Ryanair has won a case against a so-called 'screenscraper' website that forbids it from using the subdomain that includes its brand name.

The Regional Court of Hamburg has ruled that eDreams must refrain from using "Ryanair.eDreams.de" in its subdomain and from promoting in Google Ads.

The court also directed eDreams to pay compensation for trademark infringement, and ruled that eDreams use of the subdomain wrongfully suggests that eDreams itself is Ryanair, when there is no commercial relationship between the screenscraping website and the airline.

Ryanair welcomed the judgment granted in its favour and again advised customers to book directly via its website.

The airline has been engaged in several legal cases against screenscraper websites across Europe in recent years. The airline claims that many of these third-party sites cause problems for Ryanair customers and fail to pass on vital information on issues such as flight changes, web check-in, and special needs assistance and contact details.

The German court previously granted an interim injunction against eDreams in July 2014 that prohibited it from making misleading advertising claims related to best prices for flights.

eDreams has said that Ryanair is hindering the activity of online travel agencies that provide users with a clear and transparent way to find the best flight offers .

"Ryanair will continue to pursue screenscraper websites such as eDreams to prevent Europe's consumers from being misled over price and booking conditions," said Robin Kiely, head of communications at the airline.