Copyright Questions.. please read/help

[Ringr]

This kind of fits under the "development concepts" of the "website development" forum. So here goes my question:

Okay, my host is a smart guy, he knows like 4 languages and he's pretty familiar with legal stuff too. Anyways, he said that if I bought a copyright for about $600 - I could copyright my website's name, and that would mean that anyone else using the same name as my website would be legally forced to change their name or abandon their project.

To make a long story short, I own GTACentral.com - and now there's about 100,000 GTA Central's. There's GTACentral.net, GTA-C.com, GTA-Central.com, and there's even more than I can't think of right now! Anyways, if I wanted to secure my name and legally own the rights to the name "GTA Central" could I do this by buying a $600 copyright? According to my host, he said I could because that's "what he did" so that "no one else could copy the name of his hosting company".

Please share thoughts.

 

[armstrong]

What does GTA stand for?

 

[TheBrigade]

Grand theft auto?


:wave:

 

[zaros64]

you should register it,
then all the other gta centrals will have to change their name :P

 

[TheBrigade]

Thats what hes asking.

 

[zaros64]

oh,oops,
well then you should register it

 

[andriegel]

How Can you register a GTA name- isn't Grand Theft Auto (The video Game) already copywrighted?

 

[katieb]

Grey area....

It actually depends on which country your business is registered in.

It also depends on if you have formed some sort of "corporation" with your business in terms of LLC, Inc.... etc. But that's just for the business.

For the use of terms... logos... names... brands... etc. It is my understanding that Trademarking the name prevents any others from using it and there are a range of rules governing what qualifies as a trademark. My first thought was that Initials cannot be trademarked ~ but then again ~ I believe that TCB is trademarked by Elvis Presley Enterprises....

Your best bet is to consult a lawyer specializing in this sort of thing. It may seem pricey at first... but will save you fees, time, and frustration if you are actually considering cease and desist action against others at some point.

I'm not a lawyer ~ but have been consulting one regarding establishing my business. Which, by the way, has no name.... because all the "good ones" are taken!

hope this helps...

kate

 

[armstrong]

How Can you register a GTA name- isn't Grand Theft Auto (The video Game) already copywrighted?

That's why I asked what GTA stands for. If he says it stands for "Grand Theft Auto", then I don't think you can get a trademark for GTA-anything. If it were "Great Travel Advisors" and your website has nothing to do with the videogame industry, then you can probably trademark GTACentral.