Uk2

[surf_boy]

Has anyone had any problems with UK2 concerning Domain Names?

If you decide to buy a domain name like www.uk2-*****.co.uk

After purchasing that domain name, they try to take you to court and ask for compensation because you are trading under the domain name uk2.*******. They say they have the copyright/trademark for the name uk2 and they do not want anyone to use it.

So why do they sell domain names with the word uk2

Can they do this?

[ritch_b]

Because UK2 hold a trademark against the term UK2, a new .UK domain name such as the www.uk2-*****.co.uk you mention is basically infringing on their trademark and hence, they would be quite likely to win any dispute with the actual owner of the domain.

As far as any dispute goes, it could easily be argued by the trademark holder that the domain you mention has been registered in bad faith, subject to it being a real scenario!

As for why you can still register trademarked domains - it would be verging on the impossible to have every new domain registration vetted to see if it infringed on an existing trademark. The domain application - and extension type - would need to be compared to registered trademarks all over the globe, a mammoth task. Humans would need to be employed to check each domain registration too, as although some trademark infringements may be blatently obvious and detectable by a program, more subtle combinations may not be.

Hence, vetting of applications in this way isn't really an option, meaning that many businesses guard their trademarks closely, issuing cease and desist notices to anyone registering a domain that infringes on their trademark.

Almost forgot my manners - welcome to WebmasterWorld! :)

R.