Advice needed please

[siga]

Hi,
I picked up a .com domain name earlier on this year as I was aware of a project coming about in a city that was going to be big news in 3 years time and is making ripples around the community.
With out mentioning the acutal name I shall use the example of the new york city tube system. Say the website was nytube.com I have picked up (nytubes.com) about 15 days after I picked up this domain they regged nytubes in most usefull tlds ie .org .net .biz .info .org.uk
someone else has the .co.uk.
While I picked this up with the best of intentions I'm feeling a bit like a squatter.... I'm tempted to put it into slight development as a forum for the people that are not happy about it but using this example do you feel this is squatting? And do you think I should hold on to it when renewal comes up and wait to see if they approach me in a few years time to buy it..
I'm appreciate that people that squat give domainers a bad name and want to stay away from being branded as such or have any name such as that in my portfolio. As I'm trying to build myself a good reputation.
If anyone can provide more advice but needs the actual example please feel free to pm me.

Thanks in advance educated views will be appreciated and repped as such.

Cheers
SiGA

 

[evertonian7uk]

I picked up a .com domain name earlier on this year as I was aware of a project coming about in a city that was going to be big news in 3 years time and is making ripples around the community.

Ok let me jump on this - you regged the domain due to the "project" you knew about

you want to put up a forum so that people wont label you a squatter

wait to see if they approach me in a few years time to buy it..

but you want to sell it when they come knocking.


this is a difficult one, were as you got the name, and you want to sell it for profit, were as i consider this squatting, others may not, after all were all in it for the money right?

my personal opinion would depend on what the "project" is....if its something to do with NY and the issues that have gone on there in years gone by, i would have a huge problem with you trying to make cash off that, but thats just my opinion, but if its something else, something completly different, who knows, you could of just got the scoop first.

its tricky, but it depends on what the "project is" is it a TM? it sounds like it could be since all the TLD's have been snapped up.

could you give us a clue to the name ?

 

[flamewalker]

Its a tough call... if the name is going to be the name of the project when it is done, they might go after tm claims for the name.

If you bought it to sell it to them, that is cybersquatting. That is the very definition of cybersquatting. Whether they could make a tm/cybersquatting claim stick would be a whole other issue.

If they do obtain a TM, or use the term for their "service" or w/e, DO NOT accept any buy offer... they may try to entrap you so they have a better opportunity to make a claim stick. Simply tell anyone who asks that it is not for sale, and develop the domain asap.

IMHO, without knowing the exact name, my advice would be to develop (don't park!) or hand it over. These are the only 2 honest options if you don't want to be a cybersquatter.

Again I don't know the name, so I could be wrong. And, I'm no lawyer

 

[siga]

Thanks for your replys,
Edit'ed till I have done further research