Copying website name but not content?

[cicgirl]

Hi, I have a question.
I started my website 5 years ago and at that time there were no other sites with my name. Just the other day, I was doing a search for my site and came accross a site that had my name EXACTLY but added >>World Site>> after my websites name. From what I could tell, they were mostly selling a book.
How do I handle this? Do I have any recourse?
I wouldn't care, but when trying to find my site, people get mixed up and get their site, what should I do if anything?
Thanks!

[rogerd]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld, cicgirl!

This question should really go to an intellectual property attorney (we don't do legal advice here!), but certainly one thing that he/she would ask is the legal status of your site name - have you registered it as a trademark (in the US, either with the USPTO or your state), or have you at least flagged it with a "TM"? Is the domain name the name of your business, and has that been registered?

Other relevant questions might relate to the uniqueness of the name - is it a common word or words, or a unique name you invented? Is the other site related to your topic and trying to capitalize on your popularity, or does their choice of domain name look unintentional?

Here's a link to ICANN's Dispute Resolution Policies page: [icann.org...]

Good luck!