*bay.com

[Anthony Ng]

A client of mine just registered ***bay.com for his website, and in less than a week got an e-mail from eBay.com asking him to shut down the website and let the name expire. Can you believe this?

 

[GeorgeK]

It's an auto-message. If you registered sdkhgjbay.com, you'd get one too, I bet.

I'd ignore it. They don't own the word "bay".

 

[mole]

I agree. ebay probacly got the services of a name monitoring company who is trying to prove their pathetic worth - absolutely ridiculous filters. You could sue them a couple of millions for unwarranted harrassment.

 

[jalapeno]

Is your friend's web site an auction site, or is it something else? Is it even online yet, or was the email sent on the basis of the registration alone? Ebay does target other auction sites using the name "whateverbay."

 

Did the name include "ebay" in it? If so, then aside from the above responses, that's not good.

 

[DNS Kidd]

The business model of internet auctions was trademarked by someone else several months before eBay began.

The TM holder is now in a position to demand payments from eBay. Ebay mentions this exposure in their annual corporate statement.

If this goes in favor of the TM holder, other (all) internet auction sites could be forced to pay TM royalities.

Dave

 

[Drewbert]

It's a shame when people are allowed to patent the bleeding obvious.

 

[NameBox]

Originally posted by mole
I agree. ebay probacly got the services of a name monitoring company who is trying to prove their pathetic worth - absolutely ridiculous filters. You could sue them a couple of millions for unwarranted harrassment.

Sure you could mole ..... and bankrupt yourself in the process ....

 

[Capt. Flash]

Originally posted by DNS Kidd
The business model of internet auctions was trademarked by someone else several months before eBay began.

The TM holder is now in a position to demand payments from eBay. Ebay mentions this exposure in their annual corporate statement.

If this goes in favor of the TM holder, other (all) internet auction sites could be forced to pay TM royalities.

Dave

I am not sure that I am understanding this post. Are you referencing a trademark or a patent? Who is this "TM holder" you are referring to? I checked eBays annual report and can not find your reference, please direct me.
This seems a bit odd and certainly the basis of law would come into question.
Since ebay has over twenty trademarks and as many pending I am not sure what your point is. A general process such as an internet auction is not unique or able to qualify for a patent.

 

[izopod]

I had owned "eBaywatch.com" at one time. After almost a year of owning it, Cooley, Goddard LLC from Los Angeles informed me where I could transfer them name to. NO Options. This was done immediately after the US Congress passed the 1999 Cybersquatter Act. They informed me the $100,000.00 fine was no joke. So without batting an eye, I transferred the name to eBay. I had planned to develop it into a "eBay community". At the time there were none.

Anyways, it's just best to stay away from anything "eBay".

izopod

 

[Fearless]

I have a friend that put up for auction ebayanywhere.com on Ebay. Ebay killed the auction. This was about 2 years ago. They threatened him but he still owns the name.

 

[DRPiNG]

i just checked these out

shEBAY.com.net
servicEBAY.com.net
homEBAY.com.net.biz.info
herEBAY.com (i'll get the .net myself i think on monday)
pricEBAY.com

They are all reg'd
and this one wasn't

typEBAY !!! none reg'd

DRPiNG