Dear zlien Clients and Readers of the Lien Blog,

Zlien strives to be the leader in the construction credit management field. An important part of accomplishing this goal is to provide the web’s best and most comprehensive resources regarding mechanics liens and notices.

In order to provide these resources, countless hours are spent scouring state statutes and reading case upon case to make sure the information provided is accurate. Our commitment to excellence in this area means that this work is only done by, or under the direct supervision of, licensed construction attorneys. Because of the enormous expenditure of time and effort in compiling and drafting these resources, zlien must defend itself from infringement of its intellectual property.

It has recently come to our attention that the National Association of Credit Management (“NACM”) has lifted text and links directly from zlien’s website, and displayed it on their own website for profit without the consent of zlien, and without any modification to the font, colors, or links. While, on one hand, we are flattered by the tacit recognition of zlien’s status as the leader in the field, and the quality of the work produced, we cannot stand idly by while its content is pirated for commercial gain.

To defend its intellectual property, zlien filed suit in federal court alleging the infringement of its copyrights and trade dress.  You can view a copy of the filed Complaint here:  Express Lien, Inc. dba zlien v. National Association of Credit Management.

While we believe in the NACM’s stated mission and acknowledge it as an important organization for credit managers and controllers across the country, its blatant and unauthorized sale to its membership of zlien’s mechanics lien and bond claim resources is wrong.

Unlike the NACM, which is a multi-focused organization, zlien’s mission and focus is clear: we make our clients feel empowered to take on new business without payment concerns by solving the mechanics lien and bond claim puzzle. This fanatical focus on doing this one thing better than anyone else drives us. To accomplish this, one of our core values is accessibility. We want the mechanics lien process (and mechanics lien legal information) to be accessible to all businesses. Copying zlien’s resources and putting them behind a paywall is not only a violation of our copyright, but also using our copyright in a way that violates our core values.

We hope to have this matter resolved quickly. In the meantime, please continue to visit Zlien’s resources pages for the best mechanics lien information on the internet.

Sincerely,

Scott Wolfe
CEO

Nate Budde
CLO

Lien Smart. Get Paid.

Compare zlien and NACM’s Preliminary Notice and Mechanics Lien Services

Written by Scott Wolfe Jr See original article at Zlien Forced to Defend Its Resources from Copyright Infringement by NACM Originally posted on the LIEN