Hey guys, I want to start a few "quotes" sites that have good quotes from certain people, like movie stars and musicians etc. My question is, can I use their name in the domain? And could I get in any trouble for having the quotes on there? I am sure some quotes would come directly from a movie or song they did. I would be using google ads or some other form of ads on the site as well, would I get in trouble for making money like this off of a site with a famous name in it? I am a total idiot when it comes to legal issues so if anyone can help that would be appreciated! Thanks
I just checked and the name of the person I wanted to start with is trademarked, there is a list of the "goods" trademarked under this name, just general stuff like tshirts and junk. Like I said I am a total idiot when it comes to this stuff, would a quote site be fine as long as I am not trying to sell my own stuff under his name? I would just be using google ads and whatnot.
Use of the domain with the trademark could very well be trademark infringement - it is really going to depend on the exact name - and additionally, whether or not the trademark holder "thinks" it is infringement. As a general rule, you should stay away from including a trademark term in your domain when the site itself is about the trademark or in the same classification. Excluding the domain issue, the use of quotes isn't likely to cause you any problems.