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RIPPED OFF: Hostway Finds Its Viral Marketing Campaign Has 'Spread' to Netscape

Netscape allegedly plagiarizes Hostway's latest online promotion.

Chicago, IL—Thursday, May 27, 2005—Viral marketing is supposed to spread a company's message from consumer to consumer. But Web hosting leader Hostway.com claims it has found a well-known Internet company copying its popular viral promotion, "Bob's Cube," in an apparent case of online plagiarism.

Hostway said it found striking similarities between its BobsCube.com (launched on April 1, 2005), a lighthearted interactive visit to a typical office worker's cubicle, and Netscape's "The Cubicle" (launched on May 27, 2005). Designed by 15letters.com, Hostway's Bob's Cube has averaged nearly 10,000 visits per day while receiving "Site of the Day" awards from coolhomepages.com and favouritewebsiteawards.com.

"With the great buzz Hostway has received, its no wonder Netscape wanted to join the fun," said John Lee, Hostway's vice president of marketing. "The team at Hostway is extremely flattered that Netscape chose Bob's Cube to inspire its design of The Cubicle. We're eagerly awaiting Netscape's thank you letter."

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About Hostway Corporation

Hostway Corporation provides domain name registration, Web hosting and ecommerce, colocation, managed dedicated hosting, SaaS hosting, Web design and online marketing services to over 1.4 million Web sites and 2 million customers worldwide. It operates over 250,000 square feet of state-of-the-art data centers that reduce the complexity and cost of Web-based technologies for small businesses and large enterprises. Founded in 1998, Hostway is one of the world’s largest Web hosting companies with a direct presence in 13 countries, 17 worldwide operation centers and more than 700 employees. Hostway Corporation provides domain name registration, Web hosting and ecommerce, colocation, managed dedicated hosting, SaaS hosting, Web design and online marketing services to over 1.4 million Web sites and 2 million customers worldwide. It operates over 250,000 square feet of state-of-the-art data centers that reduce the complexity and cost of Web-based technologies for small businesses and large enterprises. Founded in 1998, Hostway is one of the world’s largest Web hosting companies with a direct presence in 13 countries, 17 worldwide operation centers and more than 700 employees.