Non-Cyber Squatting holding page

[KingDon]

What is the best type of holding page for a name that isn’t considered cyber squatting? Anyone have any good examples of one, with a layout that also helps to procure a sale?

:gl:

 

[.Mike]

oops - following is wrong - sorry for not reading the post properly! rgrds, mike

I might be mis-understanding you KingDon, but I would suggest someone like sedo or Fabulous.

Check out one of my sedo parked names, errmmm: www.londons.tv, its free to park and you make a revenue on your click throughs.

Sorry if "I am teaching my granny how to suck eggs" :red:

Regards, Mike

 

[primacomputer]

Sedo and Fabulous are exactly what you don't want. If you're worried about a UDRP do not under any circumstances park your name at a PPC parking service.

You can cleave the name parked at your registrar. This doesn't make you look either good or bad. You can also do a simple under construction page indicating the site is under development or planned for development. Again. do not put ads on it.

 

[Shorty]

Without it being developed your chances of getting clicks on a parked domain are slim anyway, I agree with primacomputer.

 

[.Mike]

hmm, in my intoxicated state it does appear as though I may have read the original post wrong - sorry kingdon...

Are you saying you have a name that may have trademark issues? I would just point it to a ' to be developed page' with a contact email address on. and as said above leave off the ads.

Leaves wispering to himself.. Got to stop drinking while at NP, got to stop drinking while NP, got to stop drinking while NP!....

 

[Shorty]

I think he's trying to say he wants to hold a domain without it looking like he's just holding it to resell it...right?

In that case, a good old fashioned under construction sign will work...

 

[gazzip]

I think he's trying to say he wants to hold a domain without it looking like he's just holding it to resell it...right?

In that case, a good old fashioned under construction sign will work...

Is PARKING a domain name considered to be squatting ???

 

[deet]

It may not even be worth actually parking the domain, do an under construction page and see how many visitors you get. If none, then sell it to get the Reg Fee back.
Just
My 2 cents.

 

[Smith]

Is PARKING a domain name considered to be squatting ???

It all depends on who views the site.

In the eyes of many people, just registering a name and not "using it" is considered cyber squatting.

On the flip side, a ppc landing page to many people looks like a simple developed site.

To lawyers it's all the same (from my experiences), you have a name their client doesn't want you to have. They just have more ammunition if they have a clue what a ppc landing page is, many don't though.

 

[gazzip]

I thought it is perfectly legal for anyone to buy domains with the intention of selling them on for a profit, companies like buydomains.com have thousands that are parked earning clicks.

I are you just meaning known trademark names should never be parked ?

 

[KingDon]

So if I have just the "under construction sign" on there, it pretty much says I'm not squatting. I also wanted to say that the page is being built as a music page, and if anyone has any questions or suggestions for the site to click the e-mail below. Like this

Welcome to BlahBlah.com, this site is under development. If you have any questions or ideas for the future of BlahBlah.com, please let us know what you think we should do.

What's the gray line for saying it's for sale? There must be an implied statement that doesn't come right out and say it, but sure as heck makes the person aware that it's for sale.

 

[Shorty]

"We have a future in mind for this domain, but we may be persuaded to sell it if the right price is offered."

 

[Smith]

I thought it is perfectly legal for anyone to buy domains with the intention of selling them on for a profit, companies like buydomains.com have thousands that are parked earning clicks.

I are you just meaning known trademark names should never be parked ?

It is perfectly legal for people to buy and sell domains, but it is still common for domain owners to be called "cyber squatters" especially by companies / people who don't really know what they are talking about, and who want your domain name.

This isn't just a TM thing, I own a domain name that is the formal name of a type of knife and is 100% generic. Someone wants this domain name, because it happens to be his last name. The guy is a f---ing jerk, he's repeatedly calling us "cyber squatters" and threatening all sorts of lawsuits etc because we won't just give him the domain that "we aren't using" (going to a ppc).

It's just a hangover from the late 90's.

You can park any name you want tm or not (depending on the ppc provider), you just potentially expose yourself to more legal issues if you profit from the domain name / trademark.

 

[primacomputer]

So if I have just the "under construction sign" on there, it pretty much says I'm not squatting. I also wanted to say that the page is being built as a music page, and if anyone has any questions or suggestions for the site to click the e-mail below. Like this

Welcome to BlahBlah.com, this site is under development. If you have any questions or ideas for the future of BlahBlah.com, please let us know what you think we should do.

What's the gray line for saying it's for sale? There must be an implied statement that doesn't come right out and say it, but sure as heck makes the person aware that it's for sale.

Putting up an “under construction” page doesn't mean you aren't cybersquatting, but parking at a PPC service means you are. Or more accurately, in certain cases the fact that a name was parked at a PPC service has been used as evidence in a UDRP

You don't need to say the name's for sale unless you want a lot of poor offers from teenage speculators. Any serious buyer will contact you regardless of whether the name's for sale or not.

"We have a future in mind for this domain, but we may be persuaded to sell it if the right price is offered."

Screams cybersquatter. Will definitely be used against you in any UDRP.

 

[Shorty]

Oh well. :P

 

[gazzip]

on the same note then - Is it best if you are parking at sedo to NOT put in any type of discription in the box ?? as this would also show you are definetly interested in selling the domain name.

I have noticed many do not.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

Parking a non-generic name could result in something that could be cybersquatting. Lets say you have a name like amazon.info. If you park and the PPC site then starts showing links for books, you have a problem. However, if you truly market the domain for amazon river trips, ecology, or the generic use of the term, you are safer. Unfortunately, with a third party PPC site, you can't control what links they put on that page.

 

[Grrilla]

You can park any name you want tm or not (depending on the ppc provider), you just potentially expose yourself to more legal issues if you profit from the domain name / trademark

.

Putting up an “under construction” page doesn't mean you aren't cybersquatting, but parking at a PPC service means you are. Or more accurately, in certain cases the fact that a name was parked at a PPC service has been used as evidence in a UDRP

"Parking a non-generic name could result in something that could be cybersquatting." "...However, if you truly market the domain for amazon river trips, ecology, or the generic use of the term, you are safer.

The "keywords/phrases" here, IMHO, are "...potentially expose yourself to more legal issues", "...in certain cases ", "could",and "safer". On one side, much will depend upon who, (or what company), is claiming the breech, their demeanor- ie how motivated and aggressive they choose to be , the experience of their legal dept/ counsel in domain name and UDRP issues, and what what they are willing to spend in legal fees to acquire the name. On the other side, the same criteria will apply to the domainer who must determine the level of risk and the amount of exposure he is willing to subject himself to. There is no pat answer- it's a matter of the makeup and the chemistry of the two parties that are involved.

I have, only once, (when I was less informed), intentionally attempted to profit directly from another companie's branding, and in that instance, I was doing so by using the companies stock ticker symbol, (which is not trademarkable). In that situation, it was a company that I like, they approched me non-aggressively and w/o threat, and I complied to their wishes and transferred the name(s), to them. I have been contacted by legal departments who, on behalf of their client, have made fair offers for domains, (probably because their case would have been weak and/or it was less expensive to pay the enduser market value for the name, based upon comp sales, than to pay the legal fees involved), and successful transactions have resulted. I have also been contacted by legal firms who, I am certain, were "feeling me out", and testing for vulnerability. In those instances, having the name listed at a ppc site, definitely, would have been a bad idea. In one recent instance, I scrambled to take the name off of a ppc page, despite the fact that it was an acronym and a TM dispute over the name would have been a stretch on their part.

My general approach to the squatting/TM issue:
1) Stay away from domain names where there could be a TM issue and don't make benefitting off of someone else's branding the primary reason for registering a name. (A question of ethics as well as liability, IMO).
2) If the name is generic but associated w/ a product, ie Apple, use the name in it's generic sense and not in a way that would compete in the industry of the TM holder.
3) When in doubt, play it safe and conservative, (as per primacomputer's suggestion of keeping the name on the registrar's DNS).
4) The primary intent for the name's use is for development and not for resale or ppc income.

This my own POV and not proselytization. Different strokes ...

calling us "cyber squatters" and threatening all sorts of lawsuits etc because we won't just give him the domain that "we aren't using" (going to a ppc).
It's just a hangover from the late 90's.

True, true. (Although an ostrich has never been observed to do so), the metaphor of an ostrich hiding by putting it's head down a hole comes to mind. Your unfriendly adversary has neglected a 21st century internet equation:
Traffic= $$'s ∴ DomainNames=Commodity