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Seoline sends a disciplinary warning to SISTRIX

While I was sitting down yesterday evening to put the final touches on my presentation of the most stupid SEO-mistakes of the past month (“russenlinks” and things like that) for the Campixx, the sound of a “you've got mail!” signaled a new message. To keep this short: we have gotten a legal disciplinary warning letter from the Seoline GmbH. The posting in question is this one: “IndexWatch 01/2009”. It appears that three Seoline customers were on the losing side. After I was asked by their CEO Martin Maier (who is, strangely enough, not even listed as their CEO in the trade register (PDF) ) to remove them via Xing I promptly complied to it: live and let live. After this, the operator of one of these domains explained, in the comments, that they had canceled their contract with Seoline extraordinarily because the sites optimization was not done Google-policy confirm due to the use of Russian links. And this naming of Seoline is the salient point.

Seoline, or rather their attorney, think this is not legal seeing how the company name is stated and additionally discredited. As you might have already surmised, my sense of the story is fundamentally different – and thanks to the letter on my table, that attitude is solidifying itself. Dr. Bahr, who has successfully helped us in other disputes, will surely find the right response to the letter. I have something in mind along an application to areas where the sun don't shine but I am sure that he will surely find a more appropriate choice of words. Should this proposal fall on deaf ears, we will use a negative declaratory action to gain legal certainty.

[Update 11:30 am] Seoline's letter has created a much larger stir than I would have expected. I am on my way to Berlin and I just put together a short list of postings and articles that deal with this issue:

Seoline mahnt Sistrix ab (fridaynite.de)
Randnotiz: Seoline vs. Sistrix (ice-blog.de)
Seoline GmbH übt sich im Abmahnungs-Linkbait - kleines 1×1 (randolf.jorberg.de)
Seoline vs. Sistrix (seo-radio.de)
Seoline GmbH mahnt Sistrix ab (internetmarketing-news.de)
Sistrix wurde abgemahnt (netbuzzr.com)
David gegen Googliath | SEOline mahnt Sistrix ab (cyb.de)
Wenn sich SEO Agenturen selbst das Genick brechen (adclicks-agent.de)
SEOLine mahnt SISTRIX ab (mobile-seo.de)
Seoline mahnt Sistrix ab (seokratie.de)
Seoline GmbH mahnt Sistrix GmbH ab (wowbagger.de)
Sistrix wurde von Seoline abgemahnt (netzgemein.de)
SEOline mahnt Sistrix ab - Anti-Linkbait - Wie man Mitbewerber stärkt (kropi.de)
Post von Seoline bei Sistrix (eisy.eu)
Krieg im SEO-Wölkchen: Seoline (shakwave.de)
Abmahnung für Sistrix durch Seoline (seo.de)
Selbstmord aus Angst vor dem Tod (stoibaer.de)
SeoLine GmbH mahnt Sistrix ab (suchmaschinen-optimierung-seo.info)
Seoline mahnt SISTRIX ab (interaktiv-net.de)
Blogschrott-Award für SeoLine (blogschrott.net)
SEOline Linkbait durch Sistrix Abmahnung (seo-woman.de)
Schon doof wenn der eigene Firmenname nicht mehr in Google auftaucht (meinungs-blog.de)
Online Reputation - schwer erreicht - schnell verspielt (webdesign-in.de)
Seoline mahnt Sistrix ab (baynado.de)
Abmahnungen im Internet - Sein oder Nichtsein? (mirzoian.com)
Reputation Suicide 2.0 (milchrausch.de)
Seoline mahnt Sistrix ab (florian-stelzner.de)
Sistrix bekommt eine Abmahnung von Seoline (seo-nation.de)
Seoline mahnt Sistrix ab (thafaker.de)
Sistrix-Abmahnung schlägt große Blog-Wellen (internetworld.de)
Suchmaschinenoptimierung anders herum: Seoline mahnt Sistrix ab (theofel.de)
Seoline mahnt Sistrix wegen Nutzerkommentars ab (ibusiness.de)
Abmahnung in der SEO-Szene: Seoline mahnt SISTRIX ab (e-recht24.de)
SEOLINE mahnt SISTRIX ab (internetente.de)
SISTRIX GmbH wird von Seoline abgemahnt (thorsten-veith.com)
SEO und Abmahnungen - eine explosive Mischung. Mit "Russenlinks". (ymc.ch)
Seoline mahnt Sistrix ab (dauerstress.de)
Seoline legt sich mit sistrix an und hat ein Problem mehr (martinsinner.com)

[Update 03.13.2009] At this time, Seoline has retracted their warning and will bear the full cost of this affair. Seeing how I would like to give Seoline a way to make an official statement, here their explanation:

SEOLINE official statement – Official warning retracted – Seoline's official warning of SISTRIX moves the SEO-scene. Even though this was supposed to be about other issues.

The warning was an excessive reaction to a string of incidents that happened last week. Seoline's legal actions were not concerned with SISTRIX or the blogger community in general but with isolated comments which, by stating incorrect facts, put grist to the mill of those who still seem to be uninterested in the clarification of facts in the SEO-scene.

SISTRIX and Seoline come to a peaceful agreement – the Seoline GmbH retracts their warning. Both parties see their increased mutual prime concern in establishing clarity and giving a voice to those who really have something to say.

Seoline is expressing themselves more comprehensively at seoline-news.de. At this point I will not make any comment about the explanation but would like to give thanks to all of you who stood by my side in this matter with blogentries, comments, Twitter-messages and phone calls.