Using domains with a trademark

[vatsia]

Hello,
just wanted to ask if there could be a problem is someone uses domains that include trademarks, for example something like ebayfans.com or amazonbuyes.net

[Chris]

Yes, it will be a problem. I had an amazon domain once and they sent me a C&D letter and forced me to sell it to them.

[deronsizemore]

Yes, it will be a problem. I had an amazon domain once and they sent me a C&D letter and forced me to sell it to them.


Well that's not all bad...did you make any money off of it?

[Chris]

no. They paid my cost for it.

[paul]

It took about six weeks for the first certified letter to arrive after I registered cokecollectibles.com :(

[vatsia]

Would a subdomain such as www.ebay.anyseller.com cause less trouble ?

[Avix]

I think ebay have a script that checks for domains containing 'ebay'... I registered a couple of domains last year and within a week I got emails saying I must agree to let them expire without using them or selling them.

[deronsizemore]

Would the same hold true for say a nascar site? If I used the word "nascar" in the domain name? I guess it would be the same idea...

[James]

Yeah, same idea.

[deronsizemore]

Yeah, same idea.


Dammit! and I just bought a domain with "nascar" in it! Even after reading this thread I did it. lol. :rolleyes:

[James]

Heh I think that NASCAR is just as bad for buying names with their TM in them as eBay and MS and all those other large corperations.

[Cutter]

Those big multi-billion dollar companies are very aggresive about protecting their trademarks. Besides "trademark dillution" the reason why is that some time in the future another company that could actually threaten their revenues could use a similar name. When the original company sues the new company, that company could defend themselves by saying that the holder hasn't been protecting their trademark for X number of years and then they win the case.