NBA's Chris Bosh uses Legal Action to get ChrisBosh.com and 800 other domains

[chris26]

Not sure if any of you have seen this but it's kind of scary.

http://www.businessinsider.com/nbas-...others-2009-10

A domainer (called a "cybersquatter" in the article) bought several domains for up and coming athletes and celebrity children's names. After failing to show up for court, the judge awarded Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh nearly 800 domain names from the domainer’s portfolio. The article also includes the actual court order by the judge.

[HuntingMoon]

The Chris Bosh cybersquatting case is sweeping across the airwaves, and it is logical to predict that more celebrities will go after their namesake domains (sheep lol). Now would be a good time to make sure landers on surname domains feature content and ads that are far apart from the niche of the celebrity or public figure that shares the name, since use is critical in a UDRP/WIPO case.

[Megabet]

Good point...Tell you what though..I'm really sick of hearing about these TM cases I could puke. All these big companies...They got millions, why not take some more.

[Spex]

From the article...

Bosh has no intention of using the names, his attorney said, and those whose names are on the list can contact Bosh's attorneys at Winston & Strawn to get their name back for free.

They never had them in the first place

[Tygerwoody]

Some of the names they took from this guy are absolutely retarded.


KobeStopper.com - How in the **** is that trademarked? Why would they steal this from the domainer? I kind of understand getting back ChrisBosh.com and whatnot, but KobeStopper.com? Thats ridiculous.

December9.com ? October24.com? January29.com? August14.com? Why steal those? Are you telling me DATES are against the rules now?

Curimeo.com and Walamo.com ? Those are cities in Mexico. So now we can't own Geo domains? News to me.


I don't like this judgement one bit. Its one thing to get ChrisBosh.com, but steal this guys entire portfolio? Thats just dirty.



To see the list they stole, go here http://www.winston.com/siteFiles/Domain_Name_List.pdf .

[DomainsInc]

Sad fact is the guy who lost his portfolio probably doesn't have the funds to get proper legal representation. I can understand losing the one domain but all 800?? Thats absured.

[Tygerwoody]

This story could have happen to any one of us. As many domains as this guy had, I'm pretty sure it was his full time job. Now he has nothing. Makes me sick.


I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of Chris Bosh haters from now on. I'm one of them. This news story stinks of "Metallica vs. Napster" . Metallica's popularity plummeted dramatically after that ordeal. While domainers aren't as common as file sharers, I imagine the feelings are the same.

[elivate]

I would hope that the ruling just put a freeze on the account until the TM infringing domains are turned over, or something like that...

I can't imagine a judge would allow those other domains to be taken, hopefully there will be more to this story...



So now that Chris Bosh owns domains with the names of Britney Spears' kids and Amare Staudemire isn't he now a "cybersquatter"?

[DomainsInc]

This story could have happen to any one of us. As many domains as this guy had, I'm pretty sure it was his full time job. Now he has nothing. Makes me sick.


I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of Chris Bosh haters from now on. I'm one of them. This news story stinks of "Metallica vs. Napster" . Metallica's popularity plummeted dramatically after that ordeal. While domainers aren't as common as file sharers, I imagine the feelings are the same.

After looking over the list of names, the guy was by definitation a cybersquatter. Its one thing to own a few names here and there but 96% were names of athletes. I don't feel quite as bad for him now as I would never amass such a portfolio but I still don't feel the judge has any right to award names not associated with the case to them.

[Tygerwoody]

You know what else is going to happen?


All of these domains are going to go to drop, which someone else will "cybersquat".

[chrisb72]

I cant really see why he reg'd them in the first place. I mean ok a few, lets say 100 of those and I mean the best which to tell you the truth I cant see any being really good. But the ones I really dont get... scarlettjohansonreynolds dot com "Will be the married name of Scarlett Johanson when she marries Ryan Reynolds" Are you serious? The guy didnt show because he didnt give a crap, figured he wouldnt have to get the emails to renew them. I mean at a discounted rate those names are $5k a year to keep. Cmon guy really? To hope that one of them wants their name so bad that they would pay you some huge amount for it? You would have better odds taking the $5k, going to vegas and putting it on black.

[elivate]

I cant really see why he reg'd them in the first place. I mean ok a few, lets say 100 of those and I mean the best which to tell you the truth I cant see any being really good. But the ones I really dont get... scarlettjohansonreynolds dot com "Will be the married name of Scarlett Johanson when she marries Ryan Reynolds" Are you serious? The guy didnt show because he didnt give a crap, figured he wouldnt have to get the emails to renew them. I mean at a discounted rate those names are $5k a year to keep. Cmon guy really? To hope that one of them wants their name so bad that they would pay you some huge amount for it? You would have better odds taking the $5k, going to vegas and putting it on black.

Agreed, but the big concern is that they "took" the other names not related to any celebrity or athlete, etc...

[tristanperry]

As mentioned above, many of the names *are* cyber-squatter-esque. He clearly registered the names in the hope to make money off of celebrities and athletes.

Hence I don't have too much sympathy. However awarding the generic dates to Chris Bosh is out-right theft in my eyes.

So this cyber-squatter deserved to lose a lot of his portlio, although Chris Bosh is also a cyber-squatter of sorts for stealing fully legal domains off this cyber-squatter.

[randomo]

Chris Bosh is a heck of a basketball player, and now I also respect him for wresting his .com from a squatter. (I also admired Metallica for their anti-Napster stand.)

P.S. The judge didn't take his other domains because all of them infringed; he took them to satisfy a legal financial judgment against the defendant, who stayed hidden and refused to participate in the proceedings. He gambled big-time (both by reg'ing celebrity names and by failing to appear in court), and he lost. His choice.

This story could have happen to any one of us. As many domains as this guy had, I'm pretty sure it was his full time job. Now he has nothing. Makes me sick.

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of Chris Bosh haters from now on. I'm one of them. This news story stinks of "Metallica vs. Napster" . Metallica's popularity plummeted dramatically after that ordeal. While domainers aren't as common as file sharers, I imagine the feelings are the same.

[gingeman]

Utterly ridiculous.

Total hypocrisy and it makes no sense. To award names which carry controversial ownership rights as damages in a case won about the exact same thing is the reason I have little respect for the American judicial system.

What I really hope is that one of the other celebrities launches a case against Bosh and his lawyers, theysay they will hand over the names to their 'rightful' owners if a request is received in writing within a 'prompt' timeframe. What happens after that I wonder?

I really struggle to see how they can just take the rest of his portfolio, which has nothing to do with the case, and how they arrived at a figure of $150k in damages anyhow.

Having said all of that, I have no sympathy with the defendant, he's a complete tool as well.

[Fearless]

Bosh's attorneys do not know exactly how much Zavala made on using the celebrities' and athletes' names, but said they assume it is a "significant amount."

Significant amount. I doubt it.

Chris Bosh is not the only Chris Bosh but Chris Bosh the basketball player does have a lot of disposable income.


chrisboshonline.com is available.

[gwkg]

Hence I don't have too much sympathy. However awarding the generic dates to Chris Bosh is out-right theft in my eyes.

I would never amass such a portfolio but I still don't feel the judge has any right to award names not associated with the case to them.

They took his portfolio as restitution for the $120,000 he now owes Chris Bosh. It doesn't really matter what specific domains names were in there.

What do you expect is going to happen when someone sues you for $120,000 in federal court and you don't show up? That you'll only lose a $10 domain name?

What I really hope is that one of the other celebrities launches a case against Bosh and his lawyers, theysay they will hand over the names to their 'rightful' owners if a request is received in writing within a 'prompt' timeframe. What happens after that I wonder?

They expire.

This story could have happen to any one of us.

No, it can only happen to those of us who register celebrity names that we have no right to own, refuse to give back when asked, and then ignore the subsequent court dates.

Sad fact is the guy who lost his portfolio probably doesn't have the funds to get proper legal representation.

You don't need funds to transfer a domain and you don't need funds to show up in court.

Most of his domains sucked anyway, the judge did him a favor by saving him the renewal fees.

[Gregcyber]

I say, he must of Over Dosed on bullshit and that's why he could not show up in court.

I don't see this to be fair, This guy should of had rights to sell these domains for a fair price if he just had them parked or a 404 showing.

Ill name a child Sunshine or War Lock and then go to cort for my kids domain.

[BobDiGiTaL]

I'm pretty sure it was his full time job. Now he has nothing. Makes me sick.

Who says he has nothing?
Was it only one portfolio? maybe he has other portfolios out there.
Maybe he has other names at moniker or godaddy.
I'm sure he had protected himself.

[bigboydog_0]

chris bosh sucks.com is available LOL