question Help with Premium Deal: ETWLF.com

[OAB]

Hello everyone,

I own the domain ETWLF.com, which is an abbreviation for ET World Leaders Forum—a massive event managed by The Economic Times, part of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., who also own The Times of India. The event is of significant scale, and I believe the domain I have is a perfect, shorter alternative to the long domain they currently use, which was registered just three months ago.

I’ve set a very reasonable price for ETWLF.com, considering the scale of the event and the massive organizations behind it. Moreover, in my GoDaddy control panel, I’ve noticed a considerable amount of traffic to the domain. I suspect that many visitors are looking for the event itself but are mistakenly landing on my domain.

I would really appreciate any help or advice on how to reach the decision-makers for ET World Leaders Forum. If anyone has experience or tips for approaching such organizations, your input would be invaluable.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

 

[SixFigures.ltd]

On this page I've found two emails, I'm not sure they'll answer but still worth to try I guess.
But don't expect much (world forums especially in 3d world countries are useless and laundromats basically).

 

[OAB]

On this page I've found two emails, I'm not sure they'll answer but still worth to try I guess.
But don't expect much (world forums especially in 3d world countries are useless and laundromats basically).

Thank you for your research and assistance! I agree that many forums in third-world countries often don’t prioritize these matters. However, the event they are hosting is indeed significant and well-regarded, as described by major newspapers. I was hesitant to reach out to the email accounts listed on their site because I worry that my message might end up in the hands of a staff member who would dismiss it as spam.

 

[SixFigures.ltd]

worry that my message might end up in the hands of a staff member who would dismiss it as spam.

It might happen while outbounding, can't deny human factor Personally I do email max two times to avoid looking uhm intrusive and to avoid my email actually being marked as a spam, anyway good luck with your domain

 

[silentg]

I wouldn't contact them.

I posted an analysis of this type of activity here:

https://www.namepros.com/threads/trademark-infringement-or-a-smart-acquisition.1330437/#post-9208083



I also recently won this case, which involved outbound sales:

https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/pdf/2024/d2024-1699.pdf

The takeaway from these cases is:

1. If the Complainant is the only reasonably interested party in an inherently distinctive mark, then you shouldn't have the name in the first place, let alone go poking the bear; and

2. Otherwise, you should make it clear in your communications that you are notifying a number of potentially interested parties, of which the recipient is merely one, that the domain name has become available for sale.

Even if you do that, there are always going to be folks who believe they are entitled to your domain name and, certainly, contacting them will only give them what they believe to be evidence of cybersquatting. Since your email to them is going to be used as evidence in the dispute proceeding, then you should think about what that email says to the UDRP panelist who will be deciding that dispute. For example, does your email:

(a) list selling points of the domain name that are not particular to the recipient, such as whether it is short, memorable, a dictionary word or common phrase, can be used for a variety of different applications or industries thus making it a generally valuable name,

(b) mention that the notice itself is being sent to various parties who may be interested in the domain name because it may be relevant to their industry, location, etc.

(c) provide references to comparable domain names on, for example, the DNJournal sales reports that are in some way similar to the domain name you are selling, and mention the price range of those comparable domain names.

Including those points in your email will not only make it a more informative sales communication, but it will also implicitly demonstrate the reasons why you acquired the domain name, believe it to be generally valuable apart from the recipient's particular potential interest, and provide a basis for valuing the domain name that is independent of the recipient's potential limited trademark claim.

Finally, if you can't do those things in your email, it is worth considering whether you should have the domain name in the first place.

The short answer is "Yes, you are raising your risk profile."

The longer answer is "There are things you can do to mitigate that risk to some extent."

 

[OAB]

I wouldn't contact them.

Thank you for your feedback. I want to clarify that I registered the domain ETWLF.com without prior knowledge of the ET World Leaders Forum. My primary goal was to utilize it for backlink purposes. However, I noticed an unusual amount of traffic while it was listed for sale. After some research, I discovered a recent event matching that acronym. If they are interested in purchasing the domain, it might be more beneficial for them rather than incurring the costs of a legal dispute, which I believe would be significant.

 

[jberryhill]

I want to clarify that I registered the domain ETWLF.com without prior knowledge of the ET World Leaders Forum

I see. So, why these five letters in particular? Do you have a lot of five letter domain names, or just this one?

My primary goal was to utilize it for backlink purposes.

So, whatever that is supposed to mean, why don’t you just use it for the purpose you registered it?

Because, quite simply, there is no one on this planet with any exposure to domain disputes who is going to believe you for one red hot second.

it might be more beneficial for them rather than incurring the costs of a legal dispute, which I believe would be significant.

The cost of a UDRP on these facts is trivial. It’s a significant event attended by, for example, the prime minister of India and receives substantial publicity. You registered the domain name two weeks ago - out of all the possibilities in the world - for some ill-defined purpose but have now changed your mind before doing whatever that purpose is, and have now decided to sell it to them.

Yeah, that would take all of about 15 minutes to write up as a UDRP complaint and about 5 minutes to decide.

And, even if you priced below the filing fee of a UDRP, it is worth it for them, because they don’t want to be encouraging you from registering more - and that is, frankly, if they even care about getting a five letter acronym domain.

And, this is amazing… you noticed the activity while it was listed for sale. It’s really surprising how many people on a domain name sales forum register domains for some other purpose, but somehow end up listing them for sale instead.

 

[bmugford]

I’ve set a very reasonable price for ETWLF.com, considering the scale of the event and the massive organizations behind it. Moreover, in my GoDaddy control panel, I’ve noticed a considerable amount of traffic to the domain. I suspect that many visitors are looking for the event itself but are mistakenly landing on my domain.

I would really appreciate any help or advice on how to reach the decision-makers for ET World Leaders Forum. If anyone has experience or tips for approaching such organizations, your input would be invaluable.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

It's priced at $47,000 for basically a random (5) letter .COM with one likely end user.

Seems like a lofty goal.

Brad

 

[jberryhill]

It's priced at $47,000 for basically a random (5) letter .COM with one likely end user.

Yeah, but that’s because he doesn’t want to sell it. So he put a high price on it and listed it for sale as a way of saying he registered it for something else.

Lol

 

[OAB]

I feel like this is turning into accusations rather than a constructive discussion. For clarity, I own several domains of different lengths, including five-letter ones, all with backlinks and domain authority. I registered ETWLF with no knowledge of the ET World Leaders Forum. It’s ultimately just a random set of letters. After noticing unusual traffic, I researched the event and saw a potential match. If they’re interested, I’m happy to discuss it. If they prefer legal action, I welcome it.

Case Closed

 

[Future Sensors]

I want to clarify that I registered the domain ETWLF.com without prior knowledge of the ET World Leaders Forum

 

[OAB]

LOL I swear I didn’t know anything about them before registering the domain! In the end, they probably won’t even care or buy it. Everyone just needs to relax.

 

[silentg]

Now you know it's a risky domain. Just delete it at GoDaddy. Not worth the headache.

 

[OAB]

Now you know it's a risky domain. Just delete it at GoDaddy. Not worth the headache.

Thank you for the advice! I really hope they take an interest in the domain, but I don't think that will happen. If they buy it, great. If they ignore it, which is what I expect, that's fine too. And if there's a lawsuit, I have evidence to support my case.

Nothing to lose.

 

[jberryhill]

I feel like this is turning into accusations rather than a constructive discussion.

Let me be clear. I said no one is going to believe you.

I’m not in the business of deciding whether people are telling the truth. I’m actually really bad at it.

But I’ve handled hundreds of domain disputes over two decades, and what I have gotten pretty good at is predicting whether or not the folks who decide these things are going to believe someone or not. That’s ultimately what matters. That’s why I win almost every case I defend.

There are situations where someone has the purest heart and the cleanest soul, but the problem is that nobody is going to believe them. And when that happens, it’s time to pack it in.

Children hide like this:

…because they don’t have the experience and perspective to understand that even though they can’t see anyone, everyone else can see them.

It can be very difficult for even adults to objectively evaluate their own behavior, and how it appears to others. If you post to namepros and want opinions, you’ll get them.

 

[Jannes]

At this point we don't know, and it's possible even they don't know if it's going to be an annual event. You should've just waited and played ignorant. The acronym WLF is much more prominent on their website, and ETWLF seems to be used on social media (hashtag etc). The first results on Google indicate (I'm playing ignorant here) that ETWLF is mainly the stock ticker for EasTower Wireless Inc.

 

[jberryhill]

Nothing to lose.

That's not always true, if you intend to stay active in domaining.

I gather from your reference to a "lawsuit" that you may not be familiar with how domain disputes are quickly and relatively inexpensively resolved under the UDRP.

Now, in all probability, they probably don't care, and won't care, about this domain name. It's an ungainly five letter name, and it's unlikely they would want it anyway.

It's worth mentioning that a lot of domainers take the position of "so let them win a UDRP and take the domain," which, sure, has no immediate effect.

But if you intend to stick around or have a portfolio of halfway decent names, you may eventually get into a dispute where you do have a good defense, but it depends in part on your credibility. If you come in with one black mark against you already, then you lose the benefit of the doubt when you try to defend a worthwhile name.

Now, sure, there are some people who deal with this by using fake contact information for all of their domain names anyway. And, that's fine if you want to do low value nickel and dime deals for low value nickel and dime domain names. But if your security is compromised and your names are stolen, good luck proving you were the previous registrant of the stolen names. Also, if you get into a situation where a substantial company wants to buy one of your names for real money, they are not going to want to obtain a sales agreement, title warranty, etc., from a fake identity.

It depends on what sort of business you expect to do in the future, and what sort of reputation you'd like to have, as to whether losing a domain name dispute over a $15 dollar registration matters to you in the long run.

 

[ARCCLOUD]

Now you know it's a risky domain. Just delete it at GoDaddy. Not worth the headache.

Also, posting their exact intentions on a public forum is probably not he best. Namepros recently had a post as an "exhibit A" in a UDRP lawsuit. I'd keep things like this to a PM if anything. imho

 

[jberryhill]

Also, posting their exact intentions on a public forum is probably not he best.

What's kind of funny about the nonsense concerning "backlinks" and "domain authority" is the top Google result for etwlf.com in the first place:

I have evidence to support my case.

Well, good to know you'll be providing evidence for both sides.

 

[OAB]

Dear

That's not always true, if you intend to stay active in domaining.

I gather from your reference to a "lawsuit" that you may not be familiar with how domain disputes are quickly and relatively inexpensively resolved under the UDRP.

Now, in all probability, they probably don't care, and won't care, about this domain name. It's an ungainly five letter name, and it's unlikely they would want it anyway.

It's worth mentioning that a lot of domainers take the position of "so let them win a UDRP and take the domain," which, sure, has no immediate effect.

But if you intend to stick around or have a portfolio of halfway decent names, you may eventually get into a dispute where you do have a good defense, but it depends in part on your credibility. If you come in with one black mark against you already, then you lose the benefit of the doubt when you try to defend a worthwhile name.

Now, sure, there are some people who deal with this by using fake contact information for all of their domain names anyway. And, that's fine if you want to do low value nickel and dime deals for low value nickel and dime domain names. But if your security is compromised and your names are stolen, good luck proving you were the previous registrant of the stolen names. Also, if you get into a situation where a substantial company wants to buy one of your names for real money, they are not going to want to obtain a sales agreement, title warranty, etc., from a fake identity.

It depends on what sort of business you expect to do in the future, and what sort of reputation you'd like to have, as to whether losing a domain name dispute over a $15 dollar registration matters to you in the long run.

jberryhill,

In reality, all I know about UDRP rules is that you shouldn't infringe on anyone's rights or impersonate any entity. I purchase domain names because they possess high-quality backlinks, like ETWLF.com, which has over a million backlinks (you can verify this on SEMrush). I had no prior knowledge about that forum. While searching for "ETWLF" to see my site's ranking on Google, I stumbled upon this page:
https://apps.apple.com/ee/app/etwlf-et-world-leaders-forum/id6624305500

I discovered they use the same acronym, ETWLF, and thought about offering it to them (pay attention that I want to offer it to them) as a professional and shorter alternative to their long domain name. I buy domains either because they may be desirable or because of their backlinks, and I offer them to those who might be interested. In the end, I want to make money in a legitimate way. I want to make money—is that a crime?
When I read your response, I get the feeling that life is incredibly complicated and that everyone has bad intentions, even though I don’t infringe on anyone’s rights or reserve a domain that was sought by a trademark before it was publicly announced. I’m just like anyone else on the internet, buying domains and hoping to sell them without harming anyone. And if someone files a complaint against me and I lose the case, let them take the domain. The only thing I’ll lose is $14, even though I honestly haven’t impersonated anyone, directly or indirectly.
Anyone like me who owns this random domain, ETWLF, and happens to come across a big entity would naturally think of offering it to them (as a suggestion) in hopes they might be interested and purchase it.

Why do I feel that so many people here are trying to discourage you, even though all we’re doing is trying to make a living by selling domains that nobody cares about?