I monitor a bunch of keywords and domain names on my Cotweet account, one of the Twitter applications I use on a regular basis. A couple of days ago, I saw that another Twitter user had mentioned one of my domain names with a ccTLD extension, and because her post was in a different language, I didn’t really understand what she was saying at first.
Instead of translating the Tweet, I decided to type in the domain name she mentioned, and I was surprised to see a fully developed cosmetics company operating on the ccTLD. I am not too concerned about them accusing me of using their brand because my domain name is a fully developed business, they are in another company, and I am not even operating in the same industry.
However, I did some additional research to make sure that my usage started before theirs and that they don’t have any trademarks or pending marks for the term in the US. Â While this might be unnecessary, I am just doing my due diligence to proactively see what could lie ahead. With the ease of filing a UDRP, I want to make sure I am prepared just in case.
If you own and operate a business on a domain name where other companies are operating on different extensions, you, too should do your due diligence. Ignorance is never a valid defense!
