Ask HN: Will domain/brand cybersquatters cause me trouble down the road?

2 points by mixedmetrics 10y ago ↗ HN

I've been planning on starting my own data consulting business for some time. My current contract ends June 15, so a few months ago I set June 16 as the "go live" date. I tossed around a few names, bounced these off friends and family, and decided on "Mixed Metrics." Before registering, I did a couple quick searches and determined that this name did not seem to be in use. So on May 24, I registered Mixed Metrics, LLC as a business. Then I went to register the domain name and discovered that it had been created on May 23 by Media Plow, LLC, and was for sale for $2,995.

Clearly, either 1) We both discovered this name independently and registered it within 24 hours of each other. 2) They sniffed out the fact I was considering this name, saw that I hadn't registered it, and scooped it. 3) I saw their name, decided I really REALLY needed to have it, despite the fact that they had already registered it, and decided to proceed based on the fiction that I had been considering this name.

Now I haven't been operating, in fact, I didn't plan to have the website up until June 16, so for all you know, or anyone other than my friends and family knows, the third situation above is a possibility.

Now I have two options A) Start from scratch with another name. B) Use mixedmetrics.consulting (which I now own) and continue to operate as Mixed Metrics, LLC as I had planned, and hope this doesn't lead to trouble later on. C) Pay them $2,995.

Any advice? If I proceed with B) will I be getting calls from a $75/hour lawyer threatening to sue me in East BFE over some sort of trademark infringement?

2 comments

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[dead] bayofpigs 10y ago ↗

Where did you do your initial domain name search? How long between when you found the name and paid to reserve it?

Some sites, like GoDaddy for example, reserve names people search for if they don't reserve them right away, then offer it for sale at a much higher price. They even do it in such a way to 'hold' the name for 30-60 days without paying. They often expire after this window.

Anyways, another name you might like is Mixtrics.com. It's available now.

TaylorGood 10y ago ↗

What you don't know at this moment is whether they've filed for a trademark or not. They are likely another "huge domains" and only care to sell the domain but not the brand.

You did quick searches on domain registrar sites but did not register right away. This happened to me as well with nutrikey.com - not even 3 hours after searching it was scooped up by a squatter. A secret from a CTO friend of mine: big domain registrars sell search queries to squatters.

So my advice; if you're adamant about a .com, find an alternative name then create a DBA from your LLC.