Nike vs Adenike over a domain name

[Ogogo]

Hello, I was christened "Adenike" when I was born. This is a female name of Yoruba origin and sometimes last year, I registered a domain name with my name - adenike.com
Two days ago, Nike sent me a threatening "cease and desist letter" about the domain adenike.com.
I have replied them and I stood my grounds that "Adenike" is my name so I have the right to hold the domain adenike.com.
Does anybody know more about the laws in terms of domain names? Do you think I should "cease and desist"? What do you think I should do?
Many thanks

[FlashPixels.co.uk]

I don't even see what's there problem. Adenike is totally different to Nike. There's is a word in yours. So Nike are *explicit word goes here* idiots.

[Fka200]

Did you have the domain parked? If so, was there anything related to shoes/Nike on the domain?

[tobycoke]

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://adenike.com

See link above. Adenike.com was an active site in 2004-2005 and promoted Nike products.
It appears that it was dropped, you picked it up & had it parked with ads.
If the ads were Nike related then Nike has a case again you. If you use the domain with no reference to Nike then you should be able to keep it. Don't park it with ads.

[Ogogo]

Hello tobycoke, the ads there were not mine. They were Godaddy's. All I have had on the site was a Social Networking software (Boonex) which I installed for a few days and since then, the site has been a "Page cannot be displayed" site.

[Dave Zan]

Hello tobycoke, the ads there were not mine. They were Godaddy's. All I have had on the site was a Social Networking software (Boonex) which I installed for a few days and since then, the site has been a "Page cannot be displayed" site.

The only problem with that is nothing will stop a trademark holder from feeling
you were riding off their mark. Let this be a "lesson" to ensure what it shows
doesn't somehow give that impression next time.

Unfortunately no one around here can really give "advice" how to deal with a
big company like Nike on this issue...except talk to a lawyer. Even if someone
does give even a remote one, they're not going to take the fall for you if you
follow it and Nike ends up suing you.

[christian231]

Speaking of nike...I just bought the domain name www.sumoirons.com which are the new nike golf clubs that are coming out in a month. this domain is getting a quite a bit of search traffic and I have a store set up there with affiliate golf products for sale. Does this look like a possible problem, or since I'm selling and promoting nike stuff, doesn't it benefit them.

(sorry for the small threadjack)

[modartis]

Speaking of nike...I just bought the domain name www.sumoirons.com which are the new nike golf clubs that are coming out in a month. this domain is getting a quite a bit of search traffic and I have a store set up there with affiliate golf products for sale. Does this look like a possible problem, or since I'm selling and promoting nike stuff, doesn't it benefit them.

(sorry for the small threadjack)

That is a clear problem of trademark infringement. You could have a site selling vegitables, or some unrelated product, but you will not get away with parking or with selling google ads which will all automatically trade off Nike's product.

This answers the original posters question also. You are not infringing a trade mark if you sell something unrelated. But forget about parking or adverts.

[christian231]

^^ What about the fact that i'm selling Nike products, via an affiliate program...I don't have the Nike name in the URL...so I think it's iffy at best.

What if the site redirects people to my own blog where I discuss golf clubs, etc.? Think that would be a problem?

[modartis]

Yes, you would be trading off their brand. It would be a problem and they would go after you.

If you redirected to a blog about vampires there would be no problem so long as golf equipment didn't appear in advertising on the site.