iPad a Trademark? All domains are taken.

[CamMK27]

I have been reading news about Apple introducing the new tablet pc and finally the news about what its going to be called. I am sure more or almost everyone who is going to read this post probably knows that Apple is going to call it iPad.

Here is the news on yahoo....

Apple introduces new $499 iPad tablet computer - Yahoo! News


Now I just wanted to check the domains just out of curiosity to check if people went ahead and registered them and I found out that iPad.com is obviously taken and is used by a Cancer Research Organization so I am sure they have it for a while since I never checked the whois.. But I did check some other domains..

iPads.com is a blog about Apple computers but it looks like a site owned by an individual who is no relationship with Apple and I could be wrong since I didn't check it in details.

Whats more interesting is the fact I checked

iPadTablet.com ( taken but no clear whois)

iPadTablets.com ( just registered on Jan 20-2010 )

iPadComputer.com ( whois not clear)

iPadComputers.com ( whois not clear)

All taken. The whois only shows the registration time of iPadTablets.com and no other domain's who is clear enough except where they are registered.

Now what I am wondering is, is iPad not a Trademarked Term that people went ahead and registered these domains? Isn't that taking a big risk?
I was even surprised that some one asking in the domain wanted section about WTB iPad domain and willing to pay $XXX.

What are your thoughts on this? Maybe I am missing somethig here regarding the TM issues? But one fact for sure lol no matter whatever the TM issues are these people heck for sure are fast enough to registered these domains lol...

I would like to hear some of your expert opinion and comments on this.

 

[FreshAvails.com]

Welcome to the seedy side of domaining. Folds reg names with TM violations all the time. Just the nature of the beast and if they are in violation, they will lose them and may get legal trouble for it.

Remember that a trademark is not a string of letters but words that have a meaning in the course of them doing business. "Doing business as" or "Product known as" iPad could also be IP Ad or IPA D (India Pale Ale)and those would just as much right to TM them and would likely get it.

 

[CamMK27]

Welcome to the seedy side of domaining. Folds reg names with TM violations all the time. Just the nature of the beast and if they are in violation, they will lose them and may get legal trouble for it.

Remember that a trademark is not a string of letters but words that have a meaning in the course of them doing business. "Doing business as" or "Product known as" iPad could also be IP Ad or IPA D (India Pale Ale)and those would just as much right to TM them and would likely get it.

Yes I agree. But I think my focus was more on specific domains like the ones I mentioned above. iPadTablet.com is probably a pure TM domain that is about Tablet pc which Apple is calling iPad. So bravo to those people who still go ahead and do register them. Now Apple may not bother these folks but then again who knows. Because even though none of them is a parked page yet but the ads showing on GD pages are of tablet pc.. So just makes me wonder

 

[exsedo]

It is quite clear that the names you mention are being registered with the sole intention of profiting from someone elses trademark.

If however, they contact the trademark owner and obtain their permission to use the domain name, then they could use it legally.

There are 7 live trademarks for ipad, and recent activity by Apple suggests that they are registering trademarks for the term all over the world.

 

[DotWeekly]

From my understanding.. Apple doesn't own the iPad trademark and has been in the works to get it as a different company (Fujitsu) already has it for a hand held computer.

This may be the reason why they do not own the iPad.com domain as well yet.

So technically people are squatting on Fujitsu's trademark and not Apple's currently.

 

[tkstark]

From my understanding.. Apple doesn't own the iPad trademark and has been in the works to get it as a different company (Fujitsu) already has it for a hand held computer.

This may be the reason why they do not own the iPad.com domain as well yet.

So technically people are squatting on Fujitsu's trademark and not Apple's currently.

IPad? That’s So 2002, Fujitsu Says - NYTimes.com


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/technology/29name.html?hp

 

[cache]

I like the term iTampon

 

[DnEbook]

i couldn't be bothered looking .........United States Patent and Trademark Office will inform you

 

[labrocca]

Time to short Apple.

 

[exsedo]

I did a Madrid search at WIPO.

There are 3 world marks for ipad.

1) a French company for pharmaceuticals

2) Siemens, a German company for motors and engines

3) A US company for anything and everything to do with computers and computing.
The intersting thing is the company name. IPApplicationDevelopment LLC. The initials spell IPAD
and this is an application dated 16-01-10, about 12 days before the ipad was unveiled.

 

[the_poet]

ST owns EU-registered iPad trademark