From: Richard Lathrop (lathrrs@snip.net)
Date: Fri Feb 08 2002 - 00:29:34 PST
Jack and other list members,
I wish to thank you for your kind words of support. Jack is correct what they are alleging is domain squatting. I have never had an issue with the ultimate ownership of the domain name. I was more upset by the tone rather then the subject of the request.
Back when I set the site up Textron Marine and Land had zero interest in the site it has only been recently that this has even shown up on there radar. I could allege that by posting thier sales brochures online for 4 years I was giving them free advertising. Since the site was never intended to generate profit and was simply a site to tell the story of a product there was no violation of trademark or copyright laws.
Several people have suggested trading it for an armored car or access to thier records. This request was met with a threat of unloosing the corporate lawyers on me.
My whole take on the situation is that suddenly in the security concious US following September 11th they want people to find them at this web address rather then a simple website.
I have nether the time nor finances to fight this battle. The site will come down on Sunday.
Rick
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Cougarjack@aol.com
Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2002 01:55:42 EST
>I believe there have already been court cases dealing with this issue. It is refered to as "Domain squatting" when you register a domain name that's unique to someone else's trade or service mark. If they ultimately want it, the current doctrine seems to say that they get it. I'm not aware of anyone who has won this fight, or has succeeded in selling the URL or collecting any revenue whatsoever on it. In the early days of the web, certain visionaries flocked to register such famous names as Coca Cola, General Motors, etc. In the beginning, a few of these fellows managed to sell the urls for moderate amounts of cash. But as the practice caught on, and CEO's began to understand the value of the web, corporate America responded as they usually do, with busloads of lawyers and pockets full of corrupt Congressmen. As a result, most of these have been forced by the courts to surrender them.
> Sorry Rick! (there's always Amway!)
>
>In a message dated Thu, 7 Feb 2002 5:53:25 PM Eastern Standard Time, Rikk Rogers <rkltd@swbell.net> writes:
>
>> You have time and sweat invested in the URL, it is worth a Bunch to them.
>> 1. you could make them pay out the nose for it.
>> 2. you could rent space on your URL to them.
>> 3. you could make em hire you as their web developer, as a contractor.
>>
>> Just don't give it to em w/o a fight, and do get a copyright and patents
>> lawyer.
>> And let em know how you feel about the way they have acted.
>
>
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