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Copping someone else's name.

omfgomfg New
edited July 2005 in Vanilla 1.0 Help
So, here is the deal.

I really want to register a domain name that use to belong to a fairly big media firm on the net. They had several web apps and design things going on.

This is the exact same thing I'd use it for.

Circa early 2003 they just up and vanished without a trace. Deleted a couple thousand user accounts, domain names went free, nothing.

I was thinking of names today and though of theirs and then had some weird sense of deja vu, after hunting around for awhile I finally figured out why..

Is it safe to take over their name if they have effectively dissolved into nothing?

Suggestions greatly appreciated.

Comments

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    subterranesubterrane
    Oh hell yeah, take it now. They'll send you a letter if they get pissed about it. :)
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    vinayvinay
    Indeed. they will send you a letter. you should also be able to find out the last time it was registered, and if it's available and they opt to take you to court, you should be able to point out that they used to own it, and they failed to re-register it in a timely manner.
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    moemoe
    edited July 2005
    if it really was a big firm then they probably still hold a trademark on that name.
    maybe register it (before someone else grabs it) but before putting anything
    up there first go and try to figure out if the name is poisoned anyhow.

    unfornationally i think the latter is not as easy as going to a search-site.
    you might have to pay a lawyer to do the research and write you a piece of paper that says "the xxx-name is clean" (make sure he adds a clause that he is going to take responsibility in case anyone complains later).

    might cost a couple hundred bucks but at least you're on the safe side then.

    good luck :)

    ps: what's the name anyways? ;))
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    omfgomfg New
    well not just the domain name, the WHOLE business name, doing some quick research seems to point to the fact that they never really became a 'real' business, they were just one of those designer internet businesses....

    I'm going to do it, it's a great name.
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    omfgomfg New
    DAMNIT. Even though nic.com show's them as being unregistered. They are owned by one of those stupid advertising companies.
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    vinayvinay
    bwahahaha. So. wait. This discussion was academic? So..you going to tell us the name now? :-D
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    omfgomfg New
    I wanted ohhello.com as in Oh, Hello as a company name... stupid lieing whois piece of shit.
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    vinayvinay
    Hmm when I whois it I get ... 

    The Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .EDU domains and
    Registrars.

    Found crsnic referral to whois.enom.com.


    Registration Service Provided By: MDNH, Inc
    Contact: dnsadmin@mdnhinc.com
    Visit: 

    Domain name: ohhello.com

    Administrative Contact:
       MDNH, Inc
       Aaron Mathews (dnsadmin@mdnhinc.com)
       +1.8017057143
       Fax: +1.-
       101 Convention Center Drive
       Suite 330
       Las Vegas, NV 89109
       US

    Billing Contact:
       MDNH, Inc
       Aaron Mathews (dnsadmin@mdnhinc.com)
       +1.8017057143
       Fax: +1.-
       101 Convention Center Drive
       Suite 330
       Las Vegas, NV 89109
       US

    Technical Contact:
       MDNH, Inc
       Aaron Mathews (dnsadmin@mdnhinc.com)
       +1.8017057143
       Fax: +1.-
       101 Convention Center Drive
       Suite 330
       Las Vegas, NV 89109
       US

    Registrant Contact:
       MDNH, Inc
       Aaron Mathews (dnsadmin@mdnhinc.com)
       +1.8017057143
       Fax: +1.-
       101 Convention Center Drive
       Suite 330
       Las Vegas, NV 89109
       US

    Status: Locked

    Name Servers:
       NS1.ULTSEARCH.COM
       NS2.ULTSEARCH.COM

    Creation date: 27 May 2004 14:04:41
    Expiration date: 27 May 2006 14:04:41
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    omfgomfg New
    Well, I went to nic.com and did a meta-whois which said it was available. Then godaddy told me that. I seriously HATE these advertising companies that put these stupid websites up.
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    vinayvinay
    Indeed so do I. which why I thought verisign (or whoever that was) who put up pages for unregistered domains, SUCKED! Honestly, I don't want to type in a url and go to some crappy advertising page. I want to go to the page I intended or not have to wait some crappy page to realize I typed the wrong thing in.
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    omfgomfg New
    It has to be some sort of illegal. We should start a website devoted to pointing out bad practice on the internet and garnering sites bad publicity. Kind of like those anti-spam sites.
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    vinayvinay
    And spam everybody the site eh? :) Yeah, hell I'd be up for doing something like that. Also, slowly grabbing all the open domains and pointing it to that site. Oh wait. Uh.. sorry, I'm just a cynic when it comes to this sort of crap. Too many people who don't give a shit and would do it anyway. Oh and all of those foreign companies that don't have to follow US laws.
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    omfgomfg New
    If I copyright the name and then sue them, I would win.
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    vinayvinay
    true. you would. do it! DO IT!
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    omfgomfg New
    I bought ohhello.org and I'm going to make it the unofficial official Vanilla board, for random talkage :] It's a snazzy name.
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    MinisweeperMinisweeper New
    "It has to be some sort of illegal"...haha. i love the english in that statement.
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    vinayvinay
    shush you! me speak computer. me no speak english good!

    i also don't captialize or I capitalize randomly, depending on hOw I'm felling. Also I don't correct spelling or typing errors I make, unless it's incredibly hard to tell what I've typed.

    Yeh. Something. Also complete sentences. I don't always form them. Yay Grammar Nazi!
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    omfgomfg New
    haha I was wondering when someone would pick that up :]

    I saw some movie where someone was like 'man that's all sorts of wrong right there' it stuck.
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    MinisweeperMinisweeper New
    I wasnt insulting your grammar as such, it made me laugh so i thought i'd point it out for the hell of it - i am a douchebag after all. I do get picky on some grammar stuff (people who cant distinguish between 'they're' and 'their' and 'there' and such (native english speakers atleast) kinda bug me. But at the same time i get very lazy myself on the internet. Thats the point of it. As you were.
This discussion has been closed.