Need Your Opinion: Registering Regional Version of Existing Domain

Registering regional version of existing .com domain

[cassius]

I'm thinking of building a portal website on a certain topic, specifically for Australia. Let's call it WidgetSite.com.au

Another company - based in the US - has been running a portal site on the domain WidgetSite.com since 1996 (they claim). Their logo shows the words

Widget Site

and their copyright message at the bottom of the page reads: Copyright 1996-2000 WidgetSite.com All rights reserved

I did not set out to copy WidgetSite.com's idea. The site idea (for an Australian portal for Widgets) and the domain name that perfectly suited it occured to me before I saw their site.

It is unlikely that this company will ever seek to open up an Australian branch of WidgetSite.com, and they will never register WidgetSite.com.au

Would they have grounds for challenging my use of the domain widgetsite.com.au?

Probably.

What do you think?

[Moby_Dim]

I'd try to invent a new and unique own brand.