Let's say you have a blog at typepad or blogger or wordpress and it's yourblogname.wordpress.com When you set up this blog, you had no idea that yourblogname.com is already owned by someone else in, let's say, godaddy registrar. What will happen to your blog in wordpress? Can the domain name owner demand that you shut down your blog despite your innocence? Please share your thoughts and experience on this issue. Thanks.
It really depends on what the blogname is. If it is a common word found in a dictionary, then you shouldn't have to worry about it. If it is a copyrighted name (like Google), then it might be a different story. It is a similar situation as registering a .org or .net domain when the .com already exists.
That's a good point, myp. I was thinking that domain owners might run after you because you have a blog, let's say, drinkwater.blogspot.com. I'm wondering if a domain owner can keep for himself or herself the word "water" and "drink."
I highly doubt something like "drink water" could be trademarked. It's a generic phrase, so you should be fine. If you use that subdomain to try to mirror drinkwater.com, or to try to directly compete with them in a way that's misleading to people, it may be a different story.
Hi JH, drinkwater is just an imaginary sample. I haven't even checked it out if it is already registered. Thanks for the input!
someone on blogspot.com registered my TM'ed company name - I wrote and threatened Blogger to close the account. They didn't answer - I wrote a 2nd time, and basically gave me a shrug off letter that said "take it to the user who registered it, we have nothing to do with individual accounts". So that's basically the answer
The TM issue is complicated. If they weren't trying to be misleading or directly competing with you, there might not have been any trademark issue legally, which might have influenced Blogger's decision. If they were, that's odd that they'd blow you off. They're the one hosting the content, so I'd imagine they'd be responsible at least to a degree.
With millions of accounts attached to blogger.com, the Blogger Team cannot entertain problems, let alone issues of domain names. In fact when there's a problem in your blog account, all you have to do is fix it by yourself, or post the problem in a forum thread.
The issue in my case is that it was registered 4-5 years ago and has been inactive since then. Whoever created it forgot about it, and I desperately wanted my own company name on Blogspot, but that will never happen now.