Based on various news reports I have read over the last two days, it appears that Indiana governor Mike Pence will be Donald Trump’s pick for his Vice Presidential running mate on the Republican Party ticket.
If this is the case, I think the TrumpPence.com domain name could possibly be of interest to the Trump campaign. TrumpPence.com was created in February of 2016, and it is currently registered privately. I can only presume the Trump campaign does not own the domain name right now, but I am uncertain due to the private registration.
When I visit TrunpPence.com, I see pay per click (PPC) advertising links. Based on the Network Solutions branding on the top of the landing page, this looks like a domain registrar-generated landing page rather than one chosen or controlled by the domain owner. I think this means the domain owner doesn’t control the links, nor does the owner benefit from any revenue generated (to my knowledge).
Here is a screenshot of the TrumpPence.com landing page I took this morning (click for a large version):
Interestingly, many of the links seem to be related to the Trump campaign, Trump family, or Presidential election news. In my (non-legal expert) opinion, these advertising links could put the domain name at risk for the domain owner.
Depending on the ease of contacting the domain owner and the owner’s willingness to sell the domain name (assuming it is not already owned/controlled by the campaign), it would not surprise me to see a UDRP filed for this domain name. The UDRP process is quicker than litigation, and obviously time would be of the essence to get this domain name. Mr. Trump and his company are familiar with UDRP filings.
With a situation like this, I would not wager a guess about the odds of succeeding in a UDRP should Donald Trump select Mike Pence as his running mate and the Trump campaign desire this domain name. The campaign may not even have any interest in this domain name, preferring to keep the Trump name and brand as the only name for its campaign website.
Regardless of the Trump campaign’s need or desire to own this domain name, from my outside perspective, I wonder if the current landing page could be risky for the domain name owner.
If they have not made arrangements to buy it by now, I am sure they have the paperwork in the works for the UDRP. And, it could be filed today since Trump already announced his VP choice.
And, I noticed another guy in Tx reg’d approx. 20 domains that contain the word Trump. Like TrumpWalker. In this case, Trump’s lawyers will list all of the domains as one UDRP.
We all know Trump has a track record of going after domainers that reg. domains with the word Trump in them, why don’t these guys learn? The risk is going to be high and the rewards low.
As of today Friday 7-15-2016 it looks like a “Done Deal” for Gov. Mike Pence to be Trump’s VP running Mate… Also There are “2” Obama Care Links on this TrumpPence.com landing page — Donald Trump does not like the Obama Care Plan and knows it is a Major League Disaster and He would never dream of running “2” Ad links for it…
#3 There are “2” “Fox News Ad Links” — and with the Problems DT had with Megyn Kelly at Fox News Network and it is doubtful DT would run “2” Fox News Links (unless they hopefully patched things up)… (Note: Overall DT does have a Strong Liking of the Fox News Network Company & Most of the Great Staff )
IMO it looks like an Outsider possibly made a great bet on the TrumpPence.com Domain — if things go his way on the Legal Side !!! Very Very interesting article Elliot…
News Flash: In the wake of last Thursday’s Republican debate, Trump made quite clear — as only he can — that he thought he had been mistreated by the Fox moderators and, in particular, Megyn Kelly.
Wow, @megynkelly really bombed tonight. People are going wild on twitter! Funny to watch.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2015
I think it’s pretty standard in most cases that as long as someone is profiting on a trademark, it constitutes a violation. I wouldn’t be surprised if this domain comes under fire, especially now that it’s been publicized and potentially receiving traffic as a result.
What about the PresidentTrump.com domain that got a bunch of press last month?
Did that sell?
TrumpPence.com was sold 1 month ago for 18k on Flippa. It now redirects to the official DonaldJTrump.com site. Probably someone has done the business of his life!