Registering google domains?

[7tiadomains]

Does anybody know if it's OK to register domains names with the word google? ie. www.googlecomputers.com etc.? I've seen quite a bit of domains like this around then other ones that are not parked, not sure it this is a legal issue with google. Any info will help.

[Devil Dog]

uhh yeah, there will be problems....

May not be sooner, but later on sometime down the road, stand by.

[Brett Lewis]

Registering domain names that include any fanciful (i.e., made-up) trademarks, such as Google, is a bad idea (unless you are Google). Doing so would likely violate the laws against cybersquatting, trademark infringement and/or trademark dilution. The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act carries statutory damages of up to $100,000.

There may be money in registering coined famous trademarks as domain names, but it is against the law and not worth the risk. Also, the fact that others are violating the law is never a justification for doing it yourself.

[biggedon]

to my knowledge, registering domains with "google" as the prefix or suffix in the name is not against the law.

if it were then registrars should be prohibited from allowing it.

as is, it's perfectly legal to register them.

however........

since google is a trademarked term, they may at their discretion file claims of infringement upon that mark.

some people get C&D letters and some don't.

note: many/most ppc companies are now blocking many TM names including those that contain > google > disney > yahoo

as they are now going straight to the source of revenue for holders of these names, rather than pursuing individual C&D complaints.


this is my opinion based on my experiences, and it does not represent the opinions of DNForum.com

[Duncan]

Does anybody know if it's OK to register domains names with the word google? ie. www.googlecomputers.com etc.? I've seen quite a bit of domains like this around then other ones that are not parked, not sure it this is a legal issue with google. Any info will help.

I registered one, and they sent a complaint email to me... then I told em to fork over some $$.

They did via paypal, and they got my name

[Onward]

Originally Posted by Duncan

I registered one, and they sent a complaint email to me... then I told em to fork over some $$.

They did via paypal, and they got my name

Was this back in 1998?

[Brett Lewis]

Google is a famous mark. It is also "fanciful," which is a trademark term of art for made-up words. Fanciful marks are the strongest kind, and the famous ones, such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, are entitled to the broadest scope of protection.

It actually is against U.S. law to use the word GOOGLE in a domain name or otherwise as a trademark, in most cases, under the Lanham Act. See Lanham Act, Section 43, et seq., 15 U.S.C. 1125. The Lanham Act covers trademark infringement, trademark dilution and cybersquatting, and carries a possible maximum penalty of $100,000 per domain name. There might be exceptions for protest sites or parody sites, but the general rule is not in question.

That is not to say that every person who registers a GOOGLE derivative for a domain name will be sued, it only means that they run a significant risk of being sued. The tools available to uncover what domain names a particular person has registered make it fairly risky to engage in this type of behavior. Some trademark owners are aggressive and will sue without even sending a cease and desist lettter. Others may be willing to pay off a party rather than sue. There should be no mistaking what is illegal, however, from what may be a business decision to pay someone off a comparatively small amount to avoid having to spend legal fees.

Please note that this is an entirely different situation from registering domain names based upon dictionary words, which, depending upon the use to which they are put, is often legitimate.

Brett Lewis, Esq.
Lewis & Hand, LLP

[DNQuest.com]

^^^^^ I like this guy

If I say this, I'm called a TM doom and gloom naysayer.....