Domain vs TV show and big media company

[Vinnius]

Hope that someone can offer a "hypothetical" oppinion in this matter,
lets say that on the 1st of august 2002 i registered a domain.
1 month later, a TV network in this country issues a press release that their will be a canadian version of a TV show that already exists in the US.

That tv show uses the same name as my domain.
the plan i had for the domain was similar but not exactly.

4 months later they filed for a trademark registration.
4 months after that, the Show started...
so i put up a disclaimer... but later took down the site after a call from a Lawyer asking me to hand over the domain free of charge.
then fear and confusion kicked in..
now in 2006 the TV show is very popular..

since then iv'e been scared to use the domain as i had planned,
do i have a chance?

I feel i've been taken over.
how can i fight such a large company.

what could i do ? thats legal...

i bought the domain before the press release announcing that the TV show will begin in This country.
i had a seperate plan for the domain.
The TV show did not exist nor was the public aware of its creation at the time of the registration of my domain name.

any oppinions are welcome .. thanks everybody..
does anyone want to help me with this ?

 

[primacomputer]

I'm not sure I follow what your saying. You registered the name in 2002 because there was a show in the US by that name. One moth later the show was launched in your country. But you claim no one knew about the show before you registered the name. This doesn't make sense.

You're cybersquatting on a TV show name. The fact that a localised version of it was introduced in your country after you started squatting doesn't change anything. In fact it's a good thing you didn't do what you have planned as you would be facing far more than a domain dispute right now.

You can't simply steal someone else's idea and claim it as your own because they are in a different country.

 

[Vinnius]

perhaps my message wasnt clear,

no .. perhaps my message wasnt clear,
When i registered it i had stated what i was going to do with it, my plans were to create a site in my country with only content from my country.

The idea was "not the same" as an existing US TV show.
and the domain name was "not the same" to an existing US TV show.

only the name became the same once the Network in my country decided to do a version of the american show, using the same name as in my domain name..

One month later,after the domain registration, a Tv Network in my country released a press release saying it would be creating a show (6 months later) that was similar to the one in the US,
and they planned on using the same name as in my domain...

At that point, it could create confusion.
but its not my registration that causes the confusion, its their tv show.

at that point i put up a disclaimer stating the differences,
I got more and more discouraged and
later i decided to take down the site for fear of creating confusion..

all thoughts are welcome..

 

[primacomputer]

You're going to have to provide more details. What you are saying doesn't make any sense. I think you may have fallen for the common misconceptions that something must be identical to be a copy, and that you can copy someones idea as long as you do it in a different country.

You were aware of a show in the US. According to your own admission you planned to do something similar in your country. You registered a name that was similar enough that it was the common sense name of choice when they wanted to do a local version of the show.

This sounds like blatant knocking off to me. Perhaps there are details you have failed to include that justify your position, but based on what you've said so far you're completely in the wrong.

 

[dreday12]

Yeah it sounds like cybersquating to me, you might as well give the domain up.