>>3
Only the *URL* is a rip-off. The two sites are completely different conceptually. As
>>2 said, 2ch.net (2channel) is JUST text boards, while 2chan.net (Futaba Channel) is JUST image boards.
One will remember that 4chan started out as just image boards, ala Futaba, before absorbing these text boards from world4chan (which was a replacement for the defunct world2chan - the original English-language clone of 2channel).
That said, 2channel sees more traffic, but even Futaba DWARFS 4chan or any other forum/BBS outside of Japan.