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Family name as Domain name

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S.Apers

Guest
My family name (apers) is currently registered as apers.com by NamePlanet.
In case you are unfamiliar with their service, they allow people to subscribe for a free E-mail address at various domain names (including apers.com). They attach advertising taglines onto any E-mails you write using those accounts.
I would like to know if I would have any chance of getting apers.com from them under the recently enacted cybersquatting legislation. I believe they have no right to hold the name, and that as an actual Apers family member I have a legal claim to the domain in question

For the record, I am located in New Zealand, but as the domain is probably registered in the US they would be subject to US law.

Any advice anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated.
 


S

S.Apers

Guest
I've had a look at the site. There is some interesting material but I cannot find anything directly related to my question.
Is there a particular article there which you are referring to?

Thanks.

Sebastian.
 
S

smittod

Guest
You're not entitled

I don't think you're entitled to a domain name just because it's your last name. There are a alot of people with the last name 'Dell', but not everybody is entitled to http://www.dell.com. I have a friend named Thomas Cash. It sure would be nice if he could get http://www.cash.com!
 
S

S.Apers

Guest
I'm not saying that, but Dell the company has a lot more claim to dell.com than bob jones of hicksville ohio.
Nameplanet has absolutely nothing to do with Apers, especially compared to me. :)

Hence I thought there might be a case.....

If someone with a legitimate link to the name Apers had apers.com I'd have no reason to complain. They just got to it before I did. But I think that this case is more like if I were to have grabbed bobjones.com when that had nothing to do with me at all. It's just a company rather than an individual doing the cybersquatting.....
 
S

smittod

Guest
Still, I think only companies have the right to take away a domain. (And celebrities). I think if they took your name as a domain and put up information about you, you'd have the right to get it. Also, the only reason it's registered is because it's 5 letters long. Those are hard to come by these days, and since it's not about you, it could be about anybody. I could start a business named apers, Inc. But anyway, it's just a short pronouncable word, and that's why anybody can have it.
 
L

lawrat

Guest
Cybersquatting is really what you are concerned about. Read the article. Celebrities have better cases only because their celebrity is based on their name, etc.
 

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