question Email from Harvard Professor today on Domain Name! HELP!

[DomainBarracksRob]

Need some advice here, Still new to all this and this is my first major"talk/negation".

So about a month ago I reg'd APOPS. org on the drop I liked it for several reasons.

Today I got a email from Jerold S. Kayden - simply saying -"Have you purchased the domain name apops.org?"....I looked at the Email name tag and it said, GSD Harvard . edu . Of course I was like Wow this is cool. Naturally I looked him up and Turns out he is Professor of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Also Founder of Advocates of Privately Owned Public Spaces....(apops)!!!! Wow again....turns out his other title is "Urban planner and LAWYER"!!.......How safe am I here????I did not look up Trademarks or anything like that on the name, could him being a Lawyer make this more difficult??

Please read this link here with The info on him and APOPS, he has a large team of pre$tigiou$ people and ceo's
https://apops.mas.org/about/people/

I have not responed to his email yet. I need suggestions , thoughts, opinions , appraisals, and maybe even legal advice

Thank You

Robert

 

[DomainBarracksRob]

If you registered the name after the drop and it has an active trademark by another party you need to have no lander or a lander that has no indication you are marketing it for sale. Getting the name before it dropped its age would have been better. Now it’s somewhat of a liability. Even though this guy does not have a trademark he was using the acronym for ten years. My email would have been that I bought it with a future personal project in mind. Make no mention of a trademark etc as the reason you got the name.

Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and not register a name with a known active trademark.Honestly not sure what I would do now. My gut says make him bring up a dollar amount first not you and get rid of it. I would not give it to him. I would act uninterested unless he offered a reasonable fair price.

I'm in tune with your last paragraph there and like that route . Thank You.

 

[DomainVP]

Makes a very good point....it comes up on the 3rd page of google. Should we remove it or at leastthe domain from the thread MODS?(everyone always and say they can;t do much without the name so I put it up here, and now yea) this was done typing the name and a space then org.

It's on page #1 if you search the domain, and it's cached.

 

[1Darko]

@DomainBarracksRob Write back to him that you're a poor orphan living in a barrack and that you need at least $1,000 to survive the upcoming winter. If the professor has some heart he will transfer the money as soon as possible.

 

[namelancer]

In a situation that is not of your own making like the one you are currently facing, it's possible being a good Samaritan and, at the same, honoring the expenditure of your resources by way of time, money (put in a registration fee), business planning (waiting, participating, by bidding or otherwise engaging in an auction and , finally, acquiring a name) and emotional investment (something in your unconscious must have resonated with the name when you first saw it on the drop list of expired names pending deletion). The solution lies in having a clause to be attached to the eventual contract stipulating conditions accompanying the transfer of a name under which the original registrant could continue to use the name indefinitely provided it's done so under the legal tutelage (so to speak) of a non-profit organization, but should the non-profit be dissolved in the future (or if the name is found to be discontinued from usage) you would retain the rights of having the name reverted into your ownership at no additional costs.

 

[carob]

Makes a very good point....it comes up on the 3rd page of google. Should we remove it or at leastthe domain from the thread MODS?(everyone always and say they can;t do much without the name so I put it up here, and now yea) this was done typing the name and a space then org.

You can't delete threads here and you can't delete posts - posts are only editable for 30 minutes after you first post them.

It's one reason people are very careful in appraisal threads and sales reports.

 

[Dream Domains]

...

 

[BrandPlease]

Hey don’t take it personal - like you said it’s a game. Just ask him if he would advise his students “as an attorney” to take his word and just give him what he wants” at the cost he wants. I’m from Boston and haven’t met a free giving to the little guy Harvard lawyer yet. If he thinks it’s fair say you want free representation in the future as a comparison. He is likely trying for the freebie and throwing Harvard and lawyer around to “scare you” - don’t get impressed. He is making non profits not taking down bankers..... I would not be too concerned hahaha

 

[BrandPlease]

in fact. What not ask him if he would like some help finding a new name that doesn’t have potential TM issues. Does he know of other possible TMs?

I’m sure you can dig up something better for him? And offer it as an alternative... choices, be interesting to see his response as well. May be impressed with a detailed response beyond what he expected and maybe presently surprised?

 

[Kate]

As I said before he is not just a professor at Harvard, he is a Business man with other investments , and has invested in this APOPS .org no matter how crappy or useful we can debate on about this name, it's valued by him and ...me!

Judging by some of the comments in this thread, it is obvious that many domainers don't understand how businesses or organizations operate.
The guy may have a comfortable salary but he's is not going to pay out of his own pocket for a project that belongs to the university he works for (unless maybe he's desperate to fix a personal blunder that could cost him his job and you're only taking advantage of his unfortunate position).
If the project is non-commercial and not earning revenue, they have no incentive to pay a significant sum.
And if he's not a decision maker he is not in a position to release funds from the uni dept. So what, you won't squeeze blood from a stone.
Likewise, when dealing with big corporations, how much the CEO is earning in salary is not relevant in negotiating domain price. What matters is how much he's authorized to spend (may have to secure board agreement).

and if I'm never able to sell it again if he passes, well I'm out $8.99 and life goes on! That's my risk I'm willing to take.

Is that an admission that you picked the domain for the sole purpose of resale, even though there are only two, I mean one obvious end user ? Again, I don't see upside in names like these, they are more like liabilities. I would try to work out an arrangement with the guy who obviously needs it, than wait for a buyer that will never come.

Frankly, I don't like some of the comments in this thread. They make domainers look bad and greedy.
Yeah. You picked 'his' domain name, just because you could. He's wondering why. Maybe he's thinking he was personally targeted. This isn't a premium domain with a lot of built-in value, that you should understandably be reluctant to hand over. Now how do you turn this situation into something positive ?

 

[Nikhil Jain]

The best thing to do could be to put up a reasonable price for it - Somewhere that it could actually sell.

Something is always better than nothing.

There's really no point in sitting with something that has the least probability to sell, when its real end user moves on without taking it.

 

[BrandPlease]

@Kate agree with your concern. But with 2 mins of research (so not informed on all the possible details) I don’t find Apops.org is a Harvard “owned” entity. It looks like it’s this persons personal thing and using title and position to get a better deal. Which is smart... assuming no TM or purposeful infringement by the new owner. It again, I have only read a handful of posts I don’t have any knowledge of the actual details. So disclaiming

 

[DASHCAMCLIPS]

Need some advice here, Still new to all this and this is my first major"talk/negation".

So about a month ago I reg'd APOPS. org on the drop I liked it for several reasons.

Today I got a email from Jerold S. Kayden - simply saying -"Have you purchased the domain name apops.org?"....I looked at the Email name tag and it said, GSD Harvard . edu . Of course I was like Wow this is cool. Naturally I looked him up and Turns out he is Professor of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Also Founder of Advocates of Privately Owned Public Spaces....(apops)!!!! Wow again....turns out his other title is "Urban planner and LAWYER"!!.......How safe am I here????I did not look up Trademarks or anything like that on the name, could him being a Lawyer make this more difficult??

Please read this link here with The info on him and APOPS, he has a large team of pre$tigiou$ people and ceo's
https://apops.mas.org/about/people/

I have not responed to his email yet. I need suggestions , thoughts, opinions , appraisals, and maybe even legal advice

Thank You

Robert

Hello Robert,

despite all well meant advise and tips the best thing to do is straight forward business. This gentleman has asked you a question you can in all honesty reply to. Playing hide and seek is for children.

 

[DomainBarracksRob]

https://apops.mas.org/about/people/

^^^^^^LOOK & READ^^^^^^


Has anyone here that has commented Actully looked at the "Advisory Committee " for apops, which is teamed with MAS? Link is above .

It's a powerful team and they deal with Billions of dollars a year and are well trained in negotiations. This is REAL ESTATE RELATED, and it is not some science project for a fair. Call it a non -profit or whatever you like at the end of the day it's a Business!

A large one and its teamed up with MAS ( which is a large entity in itself ).


Also Ive heard this somewhere else on the forum ....for those saying I should play on the heart and kindness route.......would the same advice apply to the guy that bought the forclosed house , when the og owner comes back and wants it for nothing ??? What would "Your" Lawyer tell him ......I don't think the banks work that way , hence how they make money. So aside from the TM which is not his anyway, why do suggest given back the "repossessed car "???

Not trying to be rude , just trying to better understand everyone's reasoning here.

 

[Kate]

There is a market for repossessed homes or cars. Unless they are completely destroyed.
There is no market for random 5L.org.
So in business you keep the assets and you ditch the liabilities.

 

[DomainBarracksRob]

@Kate I don't need a market to sell an apple , I just need to find one hungry man with a quarter in his pocket

 

[frank-germany]

it doesn't matter who the buyer is and how deep his pockets are
its your domain
and there are a lot of options to use a short acronym

so its up to you what to do with it
just don't violate any 3rd persons legal rights
thats it

renew it for 10 years

if somebody wants it
they are free to offer you a compensation
for giving up your plans

and your time
and your knowledge
that was needed in order to find such domain

if they don't honor that
they might choose another domain


there is no need to explain your initial plans to anybody
and there is no need to justify the fact that you registered an available domain


--

disclaimer
I am no lawyer
no legal advice

just my opinion
as a result of more then 15 years domaining

 

[DomainBarracksRob]

it doesn't matter who the buyer is and how deep his pockets are
its your domain
and there are a lot of options to use a short acronym

so its up to you what to do with it
just don't violate any 3rd persons legal rights
thats it

renew it for 10 years

if somebody wants it
they are free to offer you a compensation
for giving up your plans

and your time
and your knowledge
that was needed in order to find such domain

if they don't honor that
they might choose another domain

Thank you! I understanding people having opinions which is okay, but just wanted advise and not name bashing by others! a p o p s Aside from the A is not random POPs is a real word. Regardless what tools others use here, I saw and still see plenty of potential uses....and many of which the acr "finder" does not find. It's all in what you see in "your name. If this name "grading" was accurate...Mike Mann would not be the Man !..given some others opinions on his names which I actully happen to like.


ALSO I have Respond this morning via email and held FIRM , and let it be known I'm willing to work with do to the circumstances. Thank you again for everyones input and advice.

 

[Mister Funsky]

there is no need to explain your initial plans to anybody
and there is no need to justify the fact that you registered an available domain

Exactly. Come up with a reasonable offer and submit it...no need to explain or justify your reasons for acquiring the domain.

 

[promo]

@Kate I don't need a market to sell an apple , I just need to find one hungry man with a quarter in his pocket

Sounds like the market value of an apple. Means you will sell the domain for 10$?

 

[Kpett]

I would think most of us are in this business to make a profit. Part of one's overall business *might* be to assist others when needed (see Eric Lyon flood) or charity, but in the end, we buy domain names for x and sell them for y, with the goal of y being larger than x. Some of the domain names we buy may not sell, so for the ones that do, that profit needs to cover the registration (and re-reg) fees of the ones that don't just to stay even. I would have responded in the same way as @DomainBarracksRob (except maybe not mentioning I just acquired the name ... even though that's obvious), and start a negotiation.