A competitor didnt protect their name well and I have bought the dot.com version of it they had; example.co.uk and I now have example.com are there any legal issues that would prevent me linking there name to my site or any other reasons why I should not do this, thank you in advance Joe
I have heard of people buying Ipad.com before apple got it and heard that there were some issues that happened and apple actually got it back. I'm not sure.
A whole host of people bought ipad domains. Apple will need to shell out some cash to get ipad.com the same way they had to do it with iphone.com http://www.elliotsblog.com/ipad-com-new-millionaire-about-to-be-minted-courtesy-of-apple-8618 ipad.com has been owned since the 1990's http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/apple-ipad-domain-names/ My guess is apple will buy them or work without them. Here's a tongue in cheek reply on an apple forum: iPad? Didn't Apple do research to see that iPad was already a skit on SNL for feminine hygiene products? Let the non-stop mocking begin. Cancer research firm Enero 6 Corp. owns the domain iPad.com. iSlate is a much cooler name and Apple owns the domain iSlate.com according to MacWorld. ipad.com, still not controlled by apple. How can apple "get it back," when they never owned it to begin with? Stephen C
I had a similar problem. I did get "sued" from the company. They usually just want the domain back and they will refund.
If that's a trade mark then sureally there would be legal issues. But if its a generic name then they can't do much about it I think.
Why else did you register it other than maybe trying to ride off their potential "goodwill"? While it's not necessarily black and white, you can encounter domain-trademark issues. Moreso if you put anything in that domain that'll likely "confuse" users into thinking you're that competitor. Of course, that depends if the competitor has indeed established trademark rights. If they have and if they have time and money in their hands, they can make an issue of what you're looking to do. No one can really say unless you post the domain here, though obviously that's not a good idea. But... at least you're aware of the potential risks. Up to you if you want to play.
As you clearly indicate you are intending to profit from the domain name at the expence of the competitor they will have a very good case against you. This is my opinion and I am not a lawyer but have read a lot on domain squatting issues.