advice Crossroad

Sure, but hold the domain in privacy proxy and use a broker/escrow intermediary so you don't get exposed for being an opportunist. The reality is you probably did management a favor but there will be skeptics that will tag you as being exploitative. The best way to handle that is to have an intermediary contact the company. If they want it, great, but if not, so be it. Good luck!

Bonsu said:

I own a domain name which is a shorter version of my company's website in .co is it ethical to sell to it them?

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It 100% depends on the exact domain and the exact name of the company. You could be safe .. and you could be in serious legal trouble ... it's impossible to know without knowing the exact domain and company (and even then it's hard to be 100% sure). More often than not you're probably ok, particularly if the name they actively use in day to day business is the longer version .. but if they actively use the shorter version then you would be in the wrong (although you most certainly could still get a sale depending on the company and on the price .. but you'd still be in the wrong and contributing to the bad reputation of domainers)

That being said, if they are using a longer .com, usually they won't be interested in a shorter .co. Again .. it depends on the specifics. It's definitely possible depending on the price and how bad their .com is .. but .co's usually go to start-ups specifically because they can't find a .com they like at a price they can pay in the early stages of their business.

The company's domain is mydomain+city.com but mine is mydomain.co

We are a new company just 2 years old but doing very well. Mydomain.com is owned by a hospitality company I. Australia

Again .. in terms of trademarks every situation is completely different.

Legal Side:
If your company's website is BlueBullLondon.com, but they actively use "Blue Bull" for business purposes, then their trademark would be "Blue Bull" (yes .. even if it's not a registered trademark) and you would NOT be allowed to approach them to sell BlueBull.co. Doing so would cause you to fail the 3rd step of a UDRP action which states you acquired the domain in bad faith. However, if your company always refers to itself as "Blue Bull London" (and hopefully has a registered trademark ONLY for the longer one), then you might have some wiggle room. There are too many unknown variables .. the biggest mistake you can make is asking for advice without giving the specifics .. because without specifics we're all just guessing.

Non-Legal Side:
If your company only operates within the geographical scope of London and is the type of business that isn't prone to geo expansion, then I doubt they will even want the .co. If they could potentially expand then I still think the .co is a challenge if another company exists that is actively using the .com. I'd recommend a complete name change to a different and better .com for an existing company. But again .. I'm completely guessing .. NO opinion is ever going to be relevant in any way without knowing the specific details. So do not even take my or anyone advice .. lol.


All that said .. you're probably better off not sharing the domain/company names .. that could also get you into trouble.

Good luck either way! In the future you're probably better off not registering such domains. The better thing to do would have been to approach your management first and ask them how they feel about their domain and offer to help them find a new one.

If the TM connection is confusingly fuzzy enough to not be a TM or UDRP issue, then I'd at least follow what Rob said about using a 3rd party/broker/friend so that at least you don't risk losing your job!

ADDED:

Rob Monster said:

The reality is you probably did management a favor

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At the end of the day .. if you forget the legal side of things .. what Rob said is probably the closest thing to reality. With the only real problem being whether or not management is competent and knowledgeable enough on branding and domains to even understand the favour? lol .. I've seen some very high-up executives decline even discussing the topic of domains simply because they not only don't see the value .. they don't even understand them to begin with.

It was not ethical for you to register it in the first place.
It is even more unethical to try and sell it at a profit to the company you work for.

Disguising who you are (like Rob says to do) does not change that and you will have to live with your decision of deception.

My advice would be to do the right thing and give the domain to your boss.


































HeHe.... sorry forgot I was a domainer for a second.... all is fair in love and war

MapleDots said:

It was not ethical for you to register it in the first place.

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I don't think that's fair to say without knowing all the details. The question was vague, by design, and lacking the details needed to conclude whether its ethical or not.

Perhaps the domain is generic. Would that change your stance?

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Seriously though, without more information it is hard to really help.
I would probably just stick a BIN on it and list it on popular venues.

Brad

Bonsu said:

The company's domain is mydomain+city.com but mine is mydomain.co

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There are a lot of companies that would not see that as an upgrade.
I think the vast majority of end users would rather have a (2) word .COM than a single word .CO.

Brad

Simple heuristic, if you need to ask if something is ethical?

By default you already know what your doing is unethical. All in all it's too vague to offer any clear advice

I would seriously rethink approaching the company you work for.

You'll have to ask yourself, is this worth losing my job over? Even if you hide yourself, chances are one day they'll find out.

Beside it being unethical, it could have legal implications depending on your contract.

Bonsu said:

I own a domain name which is a shorter version of my company's website in .co is it ethical to sell to it them?

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I just noticed the part I put in bold. Come on man.
I would say that certainly goes down the path of unethical.

Brad

bmugford said:

There are a lot of companies that would not see that as an upgrade.
I think the vast majority of end users would rather have a (2) word .COM than a single word .CO.

Brad

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They are not the type that would be looking for a domain but when they opportunity is brought to them they would buy it.

Bonsu said:

They are not the type that would be looking for a domain but when they opportunity is brought to them they would buy it.

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Do you have another job lined up? Because if my employee tried to do that they would be looking for a new job.

I don't think the potential upside is worth the potential downside.

Brad

Bonsu said:

I own a domain name which is a shorter version of my company's website in .co is it ethical to sell to it them?

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Let's evaluate your conundrum through a slightly different psychological lens. You found a briefcase containing some very important documents that was carelessly misplaced by one of the decision makers in your company. You spend time and money transporting this briefcase back to the office. Will expecting a handsome reward for your 'kind' gesture render you an unethical opportunist? What if an employee of one of their competitors had found the documents?

Now, do you feel better about what you're invariably about to do?

If the company you work for has a geo specific domain then perhaps that's what they prefer to have in the first place. Does your boss know that you are a domainer if so maybe you can just offer the domain to him for free just to get on his good side, if your boss knows that you care so much about the company that you work for you might get more in terms of raises and promotions that might exceed what you might get for selling this domain to them. But as already mentioned most existing businesses don't change from .com to .co so unless you have a really nice .com that is a shorter version of your company's name it might not be worth it to pursue this any further, because most probably they won't want the .co and this might just cause you some unforeseen troubles with your job.

In either case don't let greed cloud your judgment, you might be better off just selling your domain on one of the marketplaces and leave the place of your employment out of it because sometimes things can get mixed up and misunderstood and can backfire on you regardless of your good intensions.

Although the final decision rests with you, I am just saying all the angles that I would be considering if I were in this situation.

Your boss will probably love you if you gave him a shorter and better .com for his company for free and he might make you the VP of something, but anything else will be a little risky.

IMO

Let's look at another conundrum. The domain at question is registered by someone other than an employee, a domain investor. Is it ethical for a domain investor to sell the domain to a company?

Internet.Domains said:

Let's look at another conundrum. The domain at question is registered by someone other than an employee, a domain investor. Is it ethical for a domain investor to sell the domain to a company?

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It depends on major factors.

Outside ethics, there are several practical issues here -

1.) Is the domain generic?
2.) Would the company even want it?
3.) If so, would they pay a premium for it?
4.) What would their response be to an employee trying to profit off their company?
5.) Is the potential upside worth the downside if they take offense to this?

I am going to assume the domain is not some amazing generic. Practically speaking you are probably better off just offering it to them and getting credit for looking out for the company.

That will probably get you further than some potential small amount of money from selling it.

Brad

bmugford said:

It depends on major factors.

Brad

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Right. This whole scenario is lacking factors. By labeling this scenario as unethical, without the factors, it can be argued domain investors are unethical. I see a set up question here. Any answer, without details, can be represented to make all legitimate domain investors look unethical. Tread with caution.

Internet.Domains said:

Let's look at another conundrum. The domain at question is registered by someone other than an employee, a domain investor. Is it ethical for a domain investor to sell the domain to a company?

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The answer could be yes, no, neither or both! Seriously .. everyone's opinions here are really just guesses without any facts. Based on the little information that's there I've given some potential legal equivalents to help come to an answer for anyone who knows the exact specific details .. but otherwise no absolute opinion here is good, accurate or relevant in any way .. including my own.

Ategy said:

If your company's website is BlueBullLondon.com, but they actively use "Blue Bull" for business purposes, then their trademark would be "Blue Bull" (yes .. even if it's not a registered trademark) and you would NOT be allowed to approach them to sell BlueBull.co. Doing so would cause you to fail the 3rd step of a UDRP action which states you acquired the domain in bad faith. However, if your company always refers to itself as "Blue Bull London" (and hopefully has a registered trademark ONLY for the longer one), then you might have some wiggle room. There are too many unknown variables .. the biggest mistake you can make is asking for advice without giving the specifics .. because without specifics we're all just guessing.

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Ategy said:

NO opinion is ever going to be relevant in any way without knowing the specific details. So do not even take my or anyone else's advice .. lol.

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