People's Names For A Domain (Good Practice?)

[BrewerFan]

Is it a good practice to buy domain names of actual peoples names? I have two right now and it seems like I have had people bite in the past, but due to "liability issues" they decided not to pursue. People have said in the past there is a probability that a person could ask for the name and legally they are entitled to it. Does having a persons name lower the amount at which the domain name is worth? Does it have any indication on the price? I am a little new to domain names and was curious.

Thanks.

 

[accent]

If you mean first and last names of famous people then yes, those are similar to trademarks and the person whose name it is can take the name, although it costs some time and a couple thousand dollars to do so.

If you mean personal names like bill.com or sally.com then those are quite valuable, depending on how common the name is.

 

[BrewerFan]

So, for example, a JohnTravolta.com wouldn't sell as well as John.com?

 

[htmlindex]

So, for example, a JohnTravolta.com wouldn't sell as well as John.com?

Exactly. Having JohnTravolta.com could get you into some hot water, having just a 1st name like John.com is great, because there are a ton of people out there with that 1st name, it's short, & doesn't open you up to any potential problems later on

 

[BrewerFan]

So for the future I shouldn't buy exact names? I have two names which are both players that eventually become big. Could I still sell them for something like $100 eventually or will people not touch them at all?

 

[-REECE-]

So for the future I shouldn't buy exact names? I have two names which are both players that eventually become big. Could I still sell them for something like $100 eventually or will people not touch them at all?

I wouldn't touch them. There's alot more at stake here than a few bucks... Openly admitting you'd be regging the player's names merely for the intent to resell them for a profit leaves the door wide open for not only UDRPs, but potential lawsuits.

 

[htmlindex]

So for the future I shouldn't buy exact names? I have two names which are both players that eventually become big. Could I still sell them for something like $100 eventually or will people not touch them at all?

There are people out there that will buy them & don't really care about if there will be issues, but there are others as well that won't touch them at all. So there is always a possibility of selling it to someone else, depends on the person that comes along.

 

[deet]

IMO, dot bother.
People flip domains everyday and never touch another persons name.
just not a good practice..

 

[BrewerFan]

Well, that is good to know for the future. In theory though regging a name early on you could park it and keep it low key and flip a few bucks right?

 

[jacpar]

I have bought a political FAMILY name, without the first name as, for example, bush.mobi or clinton.com or poutine.net

May I be in trouble for TM ??
I need your opinion

 

[accent]

I don't think that politicians have the same rules. There is something about being a public persona where the name becomes fair game. I am not sure where the line is or the details.

 

[vitalir]

That's interesting - what if it's not a politician? I.e. just last name of a celebrity, no first name:

pitt.com or jolie.com

can owner get in trouble with these? Thinking about it, there can be many pitts in the world, so should be difficult to sue it would seem, am i wrong?

 

[BinderGang]

Anything generic is OK. There can be Pitt's and Jolie's and Bush's and Clinton's out there who aren't the one's we all know.

Once you start putting the first and last name together, that's when you're getting into problems.

 

[vitalir]

Anything generic is OK. There can be Pitt's and Jolie's and Bush's and Clinton's out there who aren't the one's we all know.

Once you start putting the first and last name together, that's when you're getting into problems.

thanks. it there still a possibility i get sued for <lastname> domain? anyone heard of any cases?

 

[000]

I'm no expert, but I'm guessing that it would depend on your usage of the domain, even in cases such as Pitt.com or Jolie.com. What if you put up a fansite for the celebrity? Could that get you in trouble? I'm sure that one surefire way to lose a domain would be something like putting nude pics of Angelina Jolie at Jolie.com...

I think it just depends on what you do with it. Generally you're probably safe with just a last name, but still be careful with what you put on the domain. :imho:

 

[vitalir]

many thanks for your thoughts!

 

[buckshotdots]

I had deere.info and they (john deere) came after me even though its a generic last name. As soon as their lawyer asked I gave it to them That was my first and only last name.

gary-

 

[vitalir]

I had deere.info and they (john deere) came after me even though its a generic last name. As soon as their lawyer asked I gave it to them That was my first and only last name.

gary-

that tells a lot - thanks
so basically even <celeb. lastname> names are dangerous

 

[lzy]

That's very generous of you buckshots. :D

 

[BoutiqueMusic]

What about celebs with only one name?

Cher, Sting, Moby, etc.