discuss Buying and HOLDING a celebrity Domani name

[kbandaru]

I recently purchased three domain names (.store, .com, and .org) using a celebrity's name. I don’t plan to use them for business purposes; I intend to hold onto them and potentially sell them to the celebrity or their team if they decide to buy them. My question is: Is this legal? Could I face any legal trouble for registering domain names with a celebrity's name and selling them for a profit?

 

[internext]

s this legal?

No

Could I face any legal trouble for registering domain names with a celebrity's name and selling them for a profit?

Yes, that is called cybersquatting. Selling for profit is irrelevant.

The common practice of cybersquatting, or domain squatting, involves the practice of registering a domain confusingly similar to the trademark of an organization or person without their express consent. Essentially, cybersquatters do this in bad faith to profit from a well-known brand's recognition and success

You are better off creating a non-profit fansite or news/parody website and claiming fair use. Of course, your registration under the .store extension implies profit/commerce and would probably negate fair use.

Using a celebrity's name on a website can be considered "fair use" if it's used in a context of commentary, news reporting, criticism, or parody, where the primary purpose is not to commercially exploit the celebrity's name for profit, but rather to discuss or reference them within a relevant context; however, it's crucial to assess the specific situation and consider seeking legal advice before relying heavily on a celebrity's name on your website without permission, as there's a risk of infringing on their right of publicity

That said, if the celebrity wants their name bad enough and doesn't want to pay you for it, be prepared to spend money defending your position and avoiding fines

A penalty for celebrity name cybersquatting can include fines ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 per infringed domain name, with courts also having the power to force the cybersquatter to transfer the domain name to the rightful celebrity owner, as this practice is considered trademark infringement under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA).

There are probably better ways to go about your business.

 

[kbandaru]

so what do i do now ? is there a recourse?
do I reach out to the celebrity team and sell it for the same price I bought it for?

 

[internext]

so what do i do now ? is there a recourse?

Drop them and adopt better practices moving forward

do I reach out to the celebrity team and sell it for the same price I bought it for?

I'm sorry you don't like my prior answer. By contacting them you admit to cybersquatting. Your profit (or lack thereof) does not change that. You are guilty simply by registering such names. If you contact them, consider yourself lucky if they let you give them the names for free.

It's best to drop such names, learn from the experience, and adopt better practices moving forward.