Ask HN: Working on a side project for AWS, can domain have “AWS” included?

3 points by texteller 5y ago ↗ HN

Ask HN: Currently working on a side project for AWS, the product's domain name has the word "aws" included. Will I get any legal issue from Amazon? Is it advisable to have the word "AWS"? Please advise

8 comments

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QuinnyPig 5y ago ↗

Technically it runs afoul of their rules. Practically, I started https://www.lastweekinaws.com four and a half years ago, with an alternate "cloud" based domain instead; my thinking was "give me grief, I'll migrate and then start talking about your competition."

I can say that they've never had an issue with my use of it to date, despite my extreme levels of sarcasm.

gtirloni 5y ago ↗

It doesn't look like you've created a product that competes with AWS, on the contrary. So I'd think you're fine.

quickthrower2 5y ago ↗

IANAL but I wouldn’t risk it. Especially as it’s AWS related stuff (rather than your name is Andrew William Smith or something)

Why not use cloud in place of AWS in the name?

yellow_lead 5y ago ↗

That also didn't stop Mike Rowe

quickthrower2 5y ago ↗

Didn’t he win in the end? But even if he did it’s a lot of stressed to be sued by a tech giant.

yellow_lead 5y ago ↗

Yeah, he did get a good settlement it seems. So maybe not a bad idea if your initials are AWS :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_v._MikeRoweSoft#Pres...

BjoernKW 5y ago ↗

Their trademark guidelines expressly forbid this ("11. No Combination."): https://aws.amazon.com/trademark-guidelines/

This had us rename our eBook about developing and running Spring Boot applications on AWS from the original working title "AWS 101" to "Stratospheric" (https://stratospheric.dev/ ), which in my opinion is a much better name, too.

texteller 5y ago ↗

Thanks all for your kind response and advise, so I finally decided to change the domain name without their name.