EXCLUSIVE: CompTIA Settles Suit Against Cheet-Sheets.com; Launches Industry "Security Council"
10/3/2001 -- The Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) confirmed to CertCities.com last week that it has settled a copyright and trademark lawsuit against Keen Interactive, owners of the site Cheet-Sheets.com.
According to court documents, the suit was originally filed by CompTIA in both the Cook County State Court and the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois (where it was eventually litigated) on May 21. It stemmed from allegations that Cheet-Sheets.com -- known for its advertising motto of "actual questions from actual tests" -- violated CompTIA's copyrights by selling questions that appear on CompTIA's A+ and other exams.
"We feel obliged to protect the integrity of our program," said Lutz Ziob, vice president of certification for CompTIA. "We also believe that as an industry association...we have a role to play."
Ziob told CertCities.com that Keen Interactive agreed to the following settlement terms:
- Destruction by Keen of all CompTIA-related materials in its possession.
- Disclosure of all customers who purchased CompTIA-related materials.
- Payment of undisclosed financial damages.
- A permanent injunction prohibiting Keen from using CompTIA's trademarks on its site.
Keen Interactive confirmed the settlement terms to CertCities.com, but the company otherwise declined to comment for this story, citing legal concerns. CompTIA materials have not been available on the Cheet-Sheets.com Web site for several months.
The settlement and injunction were filed with the court on Sept. 17. Days later, CompTIA sent a mass e-mail to Keen's customers asking them to either destroy the Cheet-Sheets in their possession or send them to CompTIA (reports vary as to the e-mail's content).
CompTIA said it sent the e-mail for two reasons. "We wanted to notify them [the recipients] that the information they received violates a whole slew of copyright and other laws, both at the state and federal level," Ziob explained. "We also wanted to stop them from disseminating the information further and opening themselves up [to] possible liability."
When asked if CompTIA was planning on taking any disciplinary actions against those who received the Cheet-Sheets, Ziob replied, "Absolutely not...There's no kind of judgment here." Ziob also said that so far the response to the e-mail has been mostly positive: "Many [people] thanked us for letting them know."
While this suit has been settled, future litigation may not be far off. Several certification programs whose tests are also covered by Cheet-Sheets.com materials confirmed to CertCities.com that they have been keeping an eye on this suit, including Microsoft and Prosoft Training.com. (Novell declined to comment.)
None would confirm whether they are considering legal action, but Microsoft's Director of Certification Skills and Assessment Anne Marie McSweeney issued the following statement to CertCities.com: "Microsoft is aware of the issues surrounding Cheet-Sheets.com. The value of certification resides in a given credential clearly representing a skill set and demonstrating that an individual has experience working with the technologies. Those companies and individuals who attempt to circumvent the normal process of earning a certification do a grave disservice to the industry and to themselves. Microsoft is committed to maintaining the integrity of the MCP program credentials and supports exam security across the high-tech industry."
As part of the commitment, Microsoft -- along with Novell, Prosoft, Vue, Prometric and other industry vendors -- has joined a "security council" started by CompTIA to address the issue of "braindump" sites as well as other industry concerns. CompTIA is scheduled to announce the new council officially next week. According to Fran Linhart, director of certification for CompTIA, the council is a joint effort with the Association of Test Publishers. Rob Pedigo, former director of Sun Microsystems' certification program, has been hired to run the program, Linhart said.
While the security council has been in the works for some time, CompTIA was careful to point out that the Cheet-Sheets.com suit was not connected in any way to the council: "We [CompTIA] did this on our own," Linhart said.
CertCities will bring you more on this story as it develops. -B.N.
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There are 159  user Comments for “EXCLUSIVE: CompTIA Settles Suit Against Cheet-Sheets.com; Launches Industry "Security Council"”
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| 1/24/02: Jonathan Armour from Redmond, WA says: |
Peter Knowles, for your information your contact is inaccurate, i suggest you inquire another channel on that fact. Sincerely, Jonathan Armour MCT,MCSD,MCDBA,MCSE+I,+Site Building |
| 2/1/02: cc says: |
All testing stuff is just to make money i geuss comptia just thought that cheet sheets was going to cause them to loose money thus they decide to file a law suite . this testing stuff is just for microsoft comptia and all the other testing centers to make money no one cares about how good the test are. Just make all of this testing material so more people will fail and they we will make more on retests. business etc.... It all come down to how much money they are maiking. I don't care what anyone says.... now i can use this fourm to show the truth. Bad idea to but this message board on your site |
| 2/4/02: SkoL says: |
That's bullsh*t. CompTIA will now sell our credit card numbers and names to cisco, etc so they can revoke our certs as well. Figures |
| 2/4/02: Roc says: |
Look. If you go after "braindumps" what about the transenders that are sold? If you go after the transenders what about the text books that are sold. Lets get real here people, these tests are unrealistic. I have a few certs myself, and the only cert that was realistic in the test was the CCNA. There was no BS questions there, it was straight forward and you knew it or you didnt. Unlike the MCSE track, where each qustion took up half a page, was at least 5 sentences long, and was so obscure half the time that the point of the question was lost after awhile. Want an example of what I am talking about? You implement a web site for your company that has web-based links to important databases on Server1. You configure a Ticketing web site and create a finance virtual directory within the Departments web site in at the end of the day on Tuesday. Internet Information Services appear as follows: Internet Information Services +Server1 +Default FTP Site +Default Web Site +Admin Web Site -Departments +Finance +Human Resources +Images +_vti.cnp +_vti.log +_vtiscript +Ticketing +Default SMTP Server The following morning, users report that the only information they see in their web browser is a list of .HTM and .ASP files. How can you disable users’ ability to view all files of the web site in a list? Its become more of a scam for the testing centers than anything else. They make mad cash because in todays industry certs are a must. If we cant use braindumps to prepare ourselves for the types of questions we may see on the exam, then most of us are just plain screwed. I just got my latest cert, my MCBS ---Microsoft Certified Bullsh*tter, because thats what its all become! |
| 2/4/02: Becky Nagel from Certcities.com says: |
CC -- Just wanted to comment that we welcome all viewpoints in our posting areas; that's what it's here for -- discussion. If everyone agreed, there wouldn't be much point (and it'd be pretty boring, too). -- Becky Nagel, Web Editor, CertCities.com, [email protected] |
| 2/8/02: steve from Australia says: |
The testing cost, for example on Network + cost $380.00Au .If you get the exam wrong well you are going to have to pay again don’t you. (That’s $760.00) If cheat sheets can supply not the EXACT questions from the exam and you know, say 90% of the answers well you have passed in my eyes. Also many people who sit the exam are STRESSED out and just plainly just can not remember the answer to the simplest question. Cheat Sheets can in some ways help with the stress problem with people being more confident sitting the exam. |
| 2/11/02: Anonymous says: |
worry about if someone uses a dump or not? who cares? your knowledge is tested in the field . Tests are a joke anyway |
| 2/25/02: Beavis from Red Neck County says: |
Me and my friend Buthead have been passing exams this way. Leave these guys alone! |
| 2/27/02: DefendTheCheats from Pig State says: |
Ok, in defense of the Cheat Sheets, I have been programming for about 2 years now for the company I work for. I know how to code and the company never has a complaint, well, maybe when I send an update that don't work the way it should, but, it happens to the best of us. I am well versed in SQL, MTS, DCOM, ADO, etc. So, why did I use the cheats??? Simply because of the time factor. I don't have time to spend reading 1000 page books, I do enough of that at work when I come across something I don't understand. The cheat sheets cut right to the main point, the questions. Do I know them or not? The phrasing of the questions alone are enough to make you answer a different way than you normally would answer a question, even if you are a vetern. They level the playing field. As far as the MCSD Track, I recommend programming for about 1 to 2 years, live on Planet-Source-Code and learn what you are doing. That way, once you get that piece of paper, you are not embarassed when you start bragging to your employer. The cheats saved me a lot of study time that I just do not have. Microsoft's answer is not always the way the real world does things. But, to pass the test, you have to know the way Microsoft does things. Cheat Sheets give you just that, Microsoft's Answer. I am not defending people that have never seen Windows 2000 run or ever loaded a copy of Visual Studio and just memorizing questions and answers. That will only give you a piece of paper that is worth $125.00. For the rest of us that know what we are doing, and do things just a little differently than Microsoft would, Cheat's are great. What if I don't want to store my database on the Server? What if I want it on the Client Machine? So, maybe Microsoft thinks it slows things down in certain circumstances...Well, at least I can say that I did it my way. After all, I am the one that created the App, I can do with it what I want. Once you are smart enough to know what you are doing, then use the cheat sheets to answer those dang test the way Microsoft wants. |
| 3/3/02: Tom says: |
I went to a bootcamp for the CCNP and some of the guys used the CheetSheets while I was there. I feel sorry for them because they will have no idea what they are doing when they get their hands on the equipment. The camp was paid for by my company so I thought I would take advantage of it. After being in this business for 12 years, I know that NOTHING takes the place of experience. My advice is just be patient and wait until you can pass the tests without cheating. It will definitely serve you and your future better. |
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