Is streetdirectory.com being taken down?
3 04 2008It could be due to my intermittent M1 broadband, but I’ve been unable to access www.streetdirectory.com since yesterday afternoon. I wonder if this outage is related to the recent court case where the website owner Virtual Map Pte Ltd was being sued for infringing on Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) copyright? Virtual Map went on to lose the case and the subsequent appeal. Could Virtual Map be taking down www.streetdirectory.com?
If you’re one of those who can’t get by a day without streetdirectory.com, there’s a lesser-known guide provided by SLA at: http://www.map.gov.sg/StreetMap . It’s a scaled-down version without driving directions and other frills.
For those who are interested in courtroom drama, here is the entire transcript of the court session where Virtual Map Pte Ltd lost their appeal against the verdict:
http://lwb.lawnet.com.sg/legal/lgl/rss/supremecourt/56399.html
Update (3 Apr 2008): It’s confirmed that Virtual Map has brought the site down and “hopes to bring the site back up shortly, with new maps that the company has been working on” (see Channel NewsAsia report: Popular online map website down for days after losing appeal).
Hmm. I am going to miss Streetdirectory. Cant even remember when I started using it. What a sad day for Singapore.
For driving directions and simple map search, I found this sometime ago. http://www.eRoutePlanner.com. It uses Google Map API, which is free. For personal use.
Ah … what a pity as I think it is a great site. But since I have my Nokia Map, I rarely use the online tool.
I often wonder how did StreetDirectory get funded.
Hi Wilfrid,
Ha ha, your Nokia Map on N95 really rocks. I read from your blog how it even guided you to PJ Hilton in Petaling Jaya.
If i’m not wrong, Streetdirectory.com gets its revenue from selling ad space. For example when checking for driving directions from Streetdirectory.com, the list of driving instructions will be littered with little annoying ads.
Of course, there are some 500+ website owners who also contributed to Streetdirectory.com’s revenue after Streetdirectory.com made them pay up for using its maps without permission. One such website owner that I spoke to had to pay S$4,000 just because he copied-and-pasted onto his website a small map to show his shop location.
Hence, while streetdirectory.com is a great site and will be missed, its high-handedness in pursuing copyright-infringers has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many. To this group of people, it could very well be a joyous occasion to see streetdirectory.com getting a taste of its own medicine.
Ooh! Looks like i’m not the only one!! Thank God! I thought I need to reformat my com again
Hi Joann, your com is fine.
In case you need, here’re 3 alternatives listed by MyPaper on 10 April 2008:
http://www.map.gov.sg/streetmap
http://maps.google.com
http://rednano.sg
Hi Sing Chyun,
This is Melvin from 20twenty. We’re Virtual Map’s PR agency and we’ve been reading your posts regarding streetdirectory.com.
On behalf of the guys at VM, thanks for your interest in the website and how it’s fairing.
We’ve been receiving a lot of comments about how the loss of the site has inconvenienced people, so we’ve decided to come back online with most of our features like the popular bus/mrt guides. Unfortunately, the maps will have to wait, but hopefully this will relief your inconvenience somewhat.
So we’re hoping to engage opinion leaders like you to spread this news. Every now and then, we’ll keep you updated on the situation and once we make a breakthrough, you’ll be the first to know.
For a start, we put out a media release yesterday that I’d like to share with you. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send it over. Feel free to email or call me.
Thanks!!
Warmest Regards,
Melvin Tang
Associate
20twenty public relations
43 Mosque St #02-01 . Empire Lofts . Singapore 059521
O +65 6536 6921 . F +65 6220 6639
Hi Melvin,
Thank you, have just received your media release via email. Do keep us posted again when the media release can be accessed via a permanent URL.