WARNING - Don't bother trying to do the right thing as a domainer.

[TheBaldOne]

Well here I hope is an anecdotal experience that some will learn from, especially newbies. (I should say I have been a domainer for 17 years now - and this is one of the most disappointing experiences I have personally had.)

A couple of weeks ago I was doing some domain searches, looking for those little nuggets of a domain name that hasn't already been registered, as we all do. The program I use helps find domains similar to those being looked for according to key words and CPC. I of course then check any domains suggested by hand (never rely on a computer - after all they are programmed by humans! LOL).

Well one domain that was suggested as being available I immediately recognised as being the name of a pharmaceutical company, a relatively large German pharmaceutical company with the addition of the word 'Vaccines' added. The name was:

BioNTechVaccines.com

Now anyone who has been keeping up with the news will of course recognise the name for the work they are doing producing a Covid-19 vaccine with Pfizer. What many may not know is that BioNTech also producing and working on other vaccines including cancer, so there work is pretty important IMO. (One of my degrees was BioChemistry so I perhaps keep an eye on this sphere more than most, though my interest in this area is mainly to do with extremophiles rather than medicine, but this is why I recognised the company name.)

Anyway the domain proved to actually be available and I registered it immediately knowing that BioNTech should have the domain name. Following registration I then contacted BioNTech directly via LinkedIn 'in mail' messages including to Mr. James Ryan (VP Legal and IP at BioNTech) and offered to transfer the domain to the company absolutely free (not even asking the $8.49 registration fee), and what must surely be proof that Mr. James Ryan read my post is the fact he even looked up my LinkedIn profile.

Well having received absolutely no correspondance from BioNTech in nearly two weeks it seems that the company has no interest in being given the domain, but at the same time I do not want to be thought of or accused of being a cyber squatter, so the domain name is of no use to me. Yes I could try selling the domain name without letting on it would almost definitely be hit by a UDRP sometime in the future, but that is not how I operate (which most probably helps explain why after 17 years as a domainer I am still not a millionaire ).

Seriously though this is just a warning - never assume that trying to do a good deed will be recognised or even as in this case even acknowledged. I have most probably over the years registered about a dozen domain names specifically to give it to someone starting up a business or a very small business making little to no money, the new owner is usually appreciative and no doubt I have brought a smile to their faces, but from now on I am NEVER going to do the right thing for a large company - if they are inept enough or stupid enough not to register relevent domains then that is their lookout.

Am I bitter? I am more annoyed than bitter about this, people earning 5, 6, or even 7 figure sums are not doing their jobs and either directly or indirectly hurting their company whilst others in the company are working generally for much less to make a success of the business - and to boot in this instance they insult me by not even giving a simple reply or even acknowledgement of any kind.

Oh, and should BioNTech now try a UDRP then let them, I have no problem holding the domain name - it is not even parked.

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

if you really wanted them to take the domain. and they are not interested. I'd tell them that you won't renew the domain and THEN tell them the lifecycle of a domain name once it expires.

That it goes to expired list where the next guy might have the brilliant idea of backordering it or dropcatching it or handregging it once it drops.

The fact that it has been registered means now it's on every domainer's radar.

Tell them this domain if it goes to expired auction might very well go to a high price.

What price is paid. will now make the domain a "keeper" to the domainer.

If a domainer spends $100 or $500 or $1000 on the domain will want to keep it or it's a loss. to break even the domainer will want to get $1000 for it or more for profit.

If I remember correctly, many "comedic" websites with url's containing TM's are allowed to exist. case in point? "TrumpSucks.com" forwards to JoeBiden.com.

Show them that and tell them. There are no guarantees BiontechVaccines.com would not end up as "making fun" of Johnson and Johnson vaccine website.

Tell them also that Lawyers can end up buying the domain from you for big money because there is a big possibility that people will be injured by this vaccine. Lawyers will figure out how to sue Biotech.

A general counsel would know this.

give it some time. these vaccines will in the future have vaccine injuries. It's too early to tell right now.

If you "must" invest in such domains I'd go with one I just got. VectorVaccine.com
url shortener for ViralVectorVaccine.com (not mine)

Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca are both Viral Vector Vaccines.

 

[woolwit]

There's a good chance your email never got to their inbox. I might forward the name to a blog post or page where you clearly state that your intention is to do a good turn. If you don't hear from anyone in a year's time, let it drop.
I am prone to do this kind of thing myself. I've been able to help a few non-profits I care about, for example.

 

[bmugford]

You registered a domain. They were not interested, it seems.
I would not lose any sleep over it.

I agree with Elliott. It would probably make more sense to just message them and let them know the domain is available to register. If they wanted it, they could have then registered it.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

Im with you on this one, its totally unprofessional and rude to not even reply to someone, even more so when trying to do the right thing.

A quick "no thank you" would have been fine but not replying at all is bullshit. I guess I am old school so I expect a reply. I dont really give a crap about how big or small a company is, just be professional, especially when someone has tried to do the right thing.

People have said to me in the past when discussing similar topics.."but they are really busy people" or "they dont have time to reply to random emails", thats bullshit, we are all busy. If they are a big company, a secretary/PA would get the email, it doesnt take 10 seconds for her to reply or check with her boss and then repy. If she really is that busy, then she can skip the next coffee break and reply instead or reply at the end of her lunch beak. The whole "I dont have time" to be polite or professional is bullshit and whats wrong with society these days.

If someone has registered a domain relating to your company (whether right or wrong, it doesnt matter) and then emails you asking if you want it for free and doing the right thing, then you damn well take 30 seconds out of your day and do the right thing and reply and say thanks or no thanks.

I get random emails from people asking to buy a domains from, sometimes offering me $50 on a 10k name, I will at least give them the courtesy of a reply, they may not be lowballing, they may just not understand the value of a domain. I know I didnt 30 years ago. Another thing that annoys me off is when you apply for a job and dont get a reply at all. Why should I spend 30 min, an hour, 2 hrs out of my day putting in an application when you wont even reply. I know you may have 500 applications, but give the applicant the courtesy they deserve to reply and let them know they at least have not made the shortlist or the position has been filled, you dont need to go into different reasoning with 500 applications, but send them something so they know, they took the time out of their day to put in the application. Sending out 1 generic, mass email to the 499 people that didnt get the role is fine, at least its a reply acknowledging their application. Years ago in my contracting days, I would call or email a company and ask about my application or whether the role has been filled and mention that I hadnt received their email yet?

Well done @TheBaldOne on trying to do the right thing. Personally, I would email them again and just ask them to confirm they got your last email and would they like the domain name. I try and make people accountable when it something like this happens or it annoys me a bit, but thats me being stubborn. Keep doing the right thing

Anyway, I know a lot of people may not agree with my opinion on this, but thats fine with me.

I'll be honest, sometimes I am hard to get a hold of.

The more value proposition and less of a hassle, the more likely I am to respond.

I get contacted a lot via email, LinkedIn, and other venues. I respond when it makes sense, but time is limited. There are several pitches, lowball offers, etc. that I just ignore, especially when it seems like it is going to turn into a pain.

I am far more likely to respond when people need help or are asking for advice than when they are pitching something.

Brad

 

[gilescoley]

I'll be honest, sometimes I am hard to get a hold of.

The more value proposition and less of a hassle, the more likely I am to respond.

I get contacted a lot via email, LinkedIn, and other venues. I respond when it makes sense, but time is limited. There are several pitches, lowball offers, etc. that I just ignore, especially when it seems like it is going to turn into a pain.

I am far more likely to respond when people need help or are asking for advice than when they are pitching something.

Brad

Yeah I understand Brad. If I am really busy, I will leave that email in my inbox, especially the ones that you know wont develop into anything. I will reply to them when I have a bit more time. If I have a $5000 offer on a decent name and a $50 offer on a LLL.com, then I will obviously prioritize the inquiries, but even the lowballer will get an email from me.

I guess my job applications example is more infuriating to me as the applicant has put the effort into the applying for the role, the least you can do is bother replying to them. It makes it our like you're doing the the applicant this huge favour so they cant wait or not get a reply at all. It works both way, I am doing you a favour and your company would be lucky to have me

We all have different ways of handling these situations I guess

 

[bmugford]

I guess my job applications example is more infuriating to me as the applicant has put the effort into the applying for the role, the least you can do is bother replying to them. It makes it our like you're doing the the applicant this huge favour so they cant wait or not get a reply at all. It works both way, I am doing you a favour and your company would be lucky to have me

I agree. In a situation where I was hiring I think I would have the simple courtesy to contact applicants.

I am talking more about when it comes to unsolicited communications.

Brad

 

[pb]

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

You could have just messaged them, but registering the domain was a bad idea, IMO.

Many years ago, I've been an avid reader of a science magazine. At one point in time they started to include their website address on the cover and I noticed they were missing the IDN version of the domain. So I sent them an e-mail to which they replied with ~"thank you, but we don't need it". I just checked it today and the domain is still free to register. If they don't care, why should I? Why register it and "gift" it to them, if they "don't need it"? Better to just let it go.

 

[arjun29]

I am not convinced with you. You did a wrong thing imo. Seriously wrong. The better title would be : Don't waste time and do what matters.
p.s. You are not offering food to the starving or giving the world a vaccine formula.

 

[alcy]

wow I was waiting for the part that says they hit u with udrp

but it never came

it's clear u have too much time and money to spare. cause yer warning not to do this doesnt even apply cause nobody does this

 

[arjun29]

wow I was waiting for the part that says they hit u with udrp

That would be a great plot twist. Damnnn! they missed it. :D

 

[pb]

wow I was waiting for the part that says they hit u with udrp

but it never came

It's still a very likely outcome, but these things take time.

 

[handpicked]

a) Companies who do a lot of fundamental research and own a lot of IPs may not consider (or understand) branding / domain name as a key driver to their work IMO.
b) The company I work for, recently switched from (dot com) to (dot in) domain name, this was apparently due to frequent website hacking... it was a ministry of defense recommendation to do so. Some major research institutes over here also did it too... to keep a low branding profile but high research / intellectual property profile, because people will get to them anyways based on their research / product value.
c) Some of the research oriented companies in my place, do believe that owning their country extension in their domain name gives them more prestige.
We don't know what's in the mind of the the company in question.

 

[jhm]

That's an interesting thing you did, especially offering it for free to this company. Being a cyber squatter I guess you mean buying other extensions of the same brand, then attempting to sell it to the company with the .com...to be quite honest, if a big company isn't wise enough to secure the main domains associated with their brand, then they should be sort of punished by others who "did" secure them. They'll learn that owning your name online is paramount, in this digital age, and stops them paying more later by securing them first. What you did was most thoughtful, some companies would give it no notice...those who aren't diligent with their online don't understand or give a (bleep)

 

[iAdam]

With all my respect before doing someone else a favor, do the right thing for yourself, and stay away from companies/TM domains.

 

[Linorth]

I think the company made the right move by not responding as anything they would have said to you would potentially give you enough legal leeway to create a major headache for them.

like a simple "no thanks we dont need it" seems like a harmless message but that potentially could be enough evidence that the owner of trademark gave up their right to that specific domain (Im no lawyer but I have seen people get in trouble for saying things in the context of a friendly conversation and ending up having those words work against them in curt)

by not responding at all, they eliminate all the risks.. if you use the domain or try to sell it, they hit you with a UDRP and if you let it drop, they may or may not register it.

but replying to you would not be in their best interest.



also, I dont think claiming something that wasn't yours to then return it you the rightful owner even counts as a good deed in the first place. but what do I know..

 

[skyrider]

I had a somewhat similar experience, with a different outcome. I registered a domain related to davidsuzuki.org because I like him. The proper name of the foundation is David Suzuki Foundation so I thought I would register davidsuzukifoundation.org. I redirected it to their main domain.
A couple of years later, they sent a LAWYER after me with lots of threats, and they obviously did not understand the redirect.

Anyway, eventually someone smart agreed with me, and I pushed it to them for free.

Sadly, several years later, they have let it die..... kinda dumb, but that is the way of the world

 

[lock]

Actually this is how it always goes unless in some untouchable country and then it goes other direction and rewarded with a pay day.

 

[Xiberia]

I think the company made the right move by not responding as anything they would have said to you would potentially give you enough legal leeway to create a major headache for them.

like a simple "no thanks we dont need it" seems like a harmless message but that potentially could be enough evidence that the owner of trademark gave up their right to that specific domain (Im no lawyer but I have seen people get in trouble for saying things in the context of a friendly conversation and ending up having those words work against them in curt)

by not responding at all, they eliminate all the risks.. if you use the domain or try to sell it, they hit you with a UDRP and if you let it drop, they may or may not register it.

but replying to you would not be in their best interest.

also, I dont think claiming something that wasn't yours to then return it you the rightful owner even counts as a good deed in the first place. but what do I know..

This is the correct answer.

There are hundreds of "biontech" name registrations and they probably get someone trying to sell them names every week. Being offered a domain for free just sounds like a trick, especially when the name has a landing page with the words "Why buy this domain".

I believe the OP was trying to do the "right thing" even though it makes no sense, especially given how many other "biontech" names are registered/squatted, including this name without the S, but they should probably either make the page not load anything or just redirect to the Biontech site.

 

[comRaid]

Keep doing good. Good karma will be paid off eventually in some form. Thats' what I believe . Probably the person who read your message do not know anything about the value of what you have offered.

 

[fitkhan]

In past when i was looking for domains in GD Closeouts and droplists there were instances when i didn't want to buy the domain name but there were end users that could benefit from it (They were using the .net or longer version). So i used to email them or send message to them on facebook that a better domain is dropping or available for sale at closeouts. So many times i got rude replies. No one said thanks i registered that name. lol. Then I stopped doing that.