domain Grand Theft Auto - Appraisal

[silfwer]

If your familiar with the popularity of the game "Grand Theft Auto" i´d appreciate your opinions about following .com´s:

x 5 x
x 5 x
x 5 x
x 5 x

as you might know there is no gta5 yet, but i dont think many ppl doubt that there will be. Today following searches is very common on google
x 4 x
x 4 x
x 4 x

edit: dont like this thread in searchengines

 

[arthurdaily]

I have gta5.us

I can see the sites will be good for development and hopefully good traffic. Pick one to develop and point the others to it.

Doubt the sites will has any resale value, just on traffic.

Arthur :blink:

 

[mhardgrove]

well firstly you have the TM issue where if Rockstar wants to come after you they can, not good, pretty big gamble. Secondly, you have the fact that the period between gta4 and the last gta (vice city) was 5 and a half years. Not only that, but that was Vice City. If you go back to the last numbered gta, gta3 that would be 6 and a half years. SO basically you would be renewing these domains for a pretty long time before they made much value. So you would have to decide is the renewal of all four of these .com's worth renewing for lets be fair and say 4 years. So that would be 4 domains x 4 years = 16, times your average .com reg fee renewal. Right now it is around 9.99 but lets say you always find a discount and do it for.... 6 dollars. that would be 16 x 6 = $96. Are you going to make a return on this money? Are you going to run into TM issues? To me, it isn't worth it. But you have got to make that decision yourself. I would say that these are worth less then reg fee now, and if you use these .coms to make any money you are going to run into legal issues.... I hope that answers your question. And I have not been domain-ing long but I believe to know what I am talking about here. If I am someone else can come correct me.

 

[BitcoinDK]

Hej

(I am just the messenger, so dont shoot me )

You have TM-issue with your domains.

And the company behind the games, are known to take it seriously:
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/
(Try and search for gta in the search field.)

Sorry.

Best regards,

 

[arthurdaily]

It would just mean the transfer of the domain to the TM owner.

Get the traffic while you can.

Arthur :blink:

 

[firefly]

Funnily enough gta5 and gta6 have been trademarked by Take-Two Interactive, the creators of Grand Theft Auto.

you are running the whole gammut of TM's there. Xbox , GTA, PS3

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=100101

I don't know what the way it stands with forums though.

 

[BitcoinDK]

It would just mean the transfer of the domain to the TM owner.

Get the traffic while you can.

Arthur :blink:

I dont think you are right in this Arthur. I think you could loose more then just the domainname. Maybe some of the lawyers in NamePros, will clarify what else could happen?

Best regards,

 

[silfwer]

First about the TM issue... As far as I can see there are thousands of sites about GTA4.. And I highly doubt that Rockstar will hunt down ppl that love, buy, sell, discuss and promote there products.

Yes, there will be a long time until next release of GTA. The day that they´ll release it (if they do) the domains will be taken. If your strategy is to wait until the exact day of an event i doubt youll get the very best domains.

Yes, the name of next GTA might not be GTA V/5.

So, you are right, it´s a risk, no doubt. But thats pretty much what domain trading is about i think.
I still belive this was a risk worth taking.

Who is the TM owner?
GTA=Rockstar
PS3=Sony
XBOX=Microsoft

 

[BitcoinDK]

Well I dont agree with domaining is about this kind of risk.

I am against people who intentionally register TM domains (it may happen once-twice because you dont know it, but not intentionally and repeatedly)

They ruin the domaining industry/name, cause commom people/companies dont always differenciate a legal domainer from the other.

This makes domainers hard to sell to the end-user and get the higher price. One is almost only have to sell to resellers to a lower price, cause the reseller has contact to the end-user, who trust the reseller.

Just imo.

And regarding Rockstar Games, should love there TM-name which they obviously has spend alot of money to market, this link proves that they actually dont like it:
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2007/d2007-0497.html

Best regards,