What should i do? I own www.madden06.com

[II-Savy]

What's more BS is if this guy bought this domain way before there even was a Madden06 then he is 100% fine. They can't b****. ALSO it's not a company name. This mostely the problem before in '99 when they made these laws.

 

[genericuser]

seriously, putting up a forum about madden 05/06 isn't a bad idea.. it's a user community rather than squatting.

 

[Gbourdon]

Best idea I think here.

tell them that you were planning to put up a forum and have people advertise on it and such. The money you ask for will be lost proffit. otherwise, you shouldn't ask for money.

 

[SciFiMan]

You have nothing on the site, and are obviously cyber-squating. You do nothing but register a name, and wait for some legitamite business that wants it to pay you (big)money. You are a jerk because you drive up prices to the end consumer by raising the costs of their business operations.

If you have had the site for an extended period without developing it, judges are more likely these days to call it squatting and award it to a new owner. It's always important to at least do something with a domain, and update it occasionally even if it's cheesy.

 

[KYREDP5]

If you own a trademark and find that someone is holding it hostage as a domain name until you pay a large sum for it, you may be the victim of cybersquatting. You can either sue to get your domain name -- and possibly some money damages -- under a 1999 federal law known as the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, or you can initiate arbitration proceedings under the authority of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and win the name back without the expense and aggravation of a lawsuit.

Taken from http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/60EC3491-B4B5-4A98-BB6E6632A2FA0CB2/111/228/195/ART/

You would lose this case fairly eaisly, contrary to what alot of misinformed people on this board say. The only way you would have a chance is if youcould prove that you had a good reason
(so to speak) for using the domain name, ie, your name is Madden. Otherwise it would be a fairly simple case in EA's favor since they own the rights to the madden name.

If the person or company who registered the domain name had reasonable grounds to believe that the use of the domain name was fair and lawful, they can avoid a court decision that they acted in bad faith. In other words, if the accused cybersquatter can show a judge that he had a reason to register the domain name other than to sell it back to the trademark owner for a profit, then a court will probably allow him to keep the domain name.

 

[BacDoc]

You respond to a threat with a threat. Tell them you'll turn Madden06.com into a porn site so when all the kiddies come looking for thier game they'll find some strapping young man banging and chick with a football uniform on or something. Mommy I went to look for Madden06 and found ....!$#@!%!@!

You wanna play rough? Say hello to my little friend!

 

[txrxs]

You respond to a threat with a threat. Tell them you'll turn Madden06.com into a porn site so when all the kiddies come looking for thier game they'll find some strapping young man banging and chick with a football uniform on or something. Mommy I went to look for Madden06 and found ....!$#@!%!@!

You wanna play rough? Say hello to my little friend!

(whip)

 

[DooMer_MP3]

I think if you would've had a valid site, you could've made some money. But putting up a forum now, after the fact (the email), you're going to have a rough time getting anything more than their offer.

 

[MiaTurbo]

There is nothing wrong in what he is tring to do. In the early 90's this was a big deal. Look whats happed with Nissan.
....

not the same. Mr. Nissan had a legitamite business, and had content on his site for his computer repair business.



You might be able to bargain a little, but you'll probably not get much before they say, F it, we'll go to court.


Domain Name: MADDEN06.COM

Created on..............: Mon, Jul 26, 2004
Expires on..............: Tue, Jul 26, 2005
Record last updated on..: Mon, Jul 26, 2004

 

[girth]

Like a few others have said, if you don't set up some sort of user community on that page you WILL get the domain taken away from you. Times have changed since the mid 90s when companies were paying big bucks for a domain name because of it being their only option. You definitely CAN get more than "a few games" out of them though -- I'd request cash and no less than $1000. The worst that could happen is you'd get it taken away and NOT get a few free games. Big woop.

 

[II-Savy]

Taken from http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/60EC3491-B4B5-4A98-BB6E6632A2FA0CB2/111/228/195/ART/

You would lose this case fairly eaisly, contrary to what alot of misinformed people on this board say. The only way you would have a chance is if youcould prove that you had a good reason
(so to speak) for using the domain name, ie, your name is Madden. Otherwise it would be a fairly simple case in EA's favor since they own the rights to the madden name.

I disagree. I did some reading also. First the time means nothing unless it was 10 years ago he bought it....and even then 10 years ago there was no maddin 06 so it's a moot point. NOW a days it is harder to prove. Especially if these situations are present.
1. He is actually working on a site, and he still have whatever time he needs to build it.
2. He bought it several years ago before maddin 06 was an idea.
3. They own the rights to the name not the domain.

This would be totally different if he bought eagames.com

 

[II-Savy]

BACK UP -

"Although each of these results suggests the possibility of cybersquatting, there may also be an innocent explanation, especially if the website is still under construction. You can reserve a domain name for two years, so the fact that a website is not up and running, even months after the name was reserved or registered, does not necessarily mean that the registrant doesn't have perfectly legitimate plans to have a website in the future."

http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/60EC3491-B4B5-4A98-BB6E6632A2FA0CB2/111/228/195/ART

More -
In order to stop a cybersquatter, the trademark owner must prove all of the following:

• the domain name registrant had a bad-faith intent to profit from the trademark
• the trademark was distinctive at the time the domain name was first registered
• the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to the trademark, and
• the trademark qualifies for protection under federal trademark laws -- that is, the trademark is distinctive and its owner was the first to use the trademark in commerce.

Good luck proving everything. "bad-faith intent" ......no way they are gunna prove this beyond a shadow.

 

[BacDoc]

Madden06.com = Ebay Buy it now.

 

[MiaTurbo]

BACK UP -

"Although each of these results suggests the possibility of cybersquatting, there may also be an innocent explanation, especially if the website is still under construction. You can reserve a domain name for two years, so the fact that a website is not up and running, even months after the name was reserved or registered, does not necessarily mean that the registrant doesn't have perfectly legitimate plans to have a website in the future."

http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/60EC3491-B4B5-4A98-BB6E6632A2FA0CB2/111/228/195/ART

More -
In order to stop a cybersquatter, the trademark owner must prove all of the following:

• the domain name registrant had a bad-faith intent to profit from the trademark
• the trademark was distinctive at the time the domain name was first registered
• the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to the trademark, and
• the trademark qualifies for protection under federal trademark laws -- that is, the trademark is distinctive and its owner was the first to use the trademark in commerce.

Good luck proving everything. "bad-faith intent" ......no way they are gunna prove this beyond a shadow.

madden04.com, and madden05.com are registered to EA. that's enough for a judge to award the site to EA

You know what? Screw the laws. When are people gonna have some gawd damn common sence? it's obvious that the site doesn't have content, and will most likely never will if it's been 8 months since it was registered, and has nothing on it.

 

[StarvingRussian]

Eh, just take the games man. I would pick Madden '06, Madden '07 and Madden '08 for the 3 free games.

 

[II-Savy]

madden04.com, and madden05.com are registered to EA. that's enough for a judge to award the site to EA

You know what? Screw the laws. When are people gonna have some gawd damn common sence? it's obvious that the site doesn't have content, and will most likely never will if it's been 8 months since it was registered, and has nothing on it.

You can reserve a domain name for two years, so the fact that a website is not up and running, even months after the name was reserved or registered, does not necessarily mean that the registrant doesn't have perfectly legitimate plans to have a website in the future.

 

[noclue119]

I think u should sell madden06.com to take 2 the creator of ESPN football. Be like madden decided to buy NFLPA so i decided that the site would be better used to bash the prodcut of madden 06 as my protest to the game's monoploy. And that disproves that you are not cybersquatting.

That would be funny

 

[ZeroAccess]

you screwed up by leaving it blank,
should at least put something there.
Your intentions were to cybersquat untill it hit big and try and make cash off it which is a good idea but you didn't put a website.

I say your screwed and just ask for a check for backpay and your troubles.

 

[ZeroAccess]

Ah good idea, you can now make a website about how corporations are throwing their weight around to get what they want and you left that domain blank just to see if they would try and take it from you so now you can put that e-mail along with whatever info you want about how corporations are ruining america

 

[genericuser]

it was also pretty dumb putting this on a public messageboard.. if ea found this you'd be screwed man