Dubious redirection from .com

[nomis5]

A UK affiliate I use has the domain "affiliate.co.uk". They failed to acquire the domain "affiliate.com".

A competitor has acquired that "affiliate.com" domain name. When I type in "affiliate.com" there is a redirect to the competitor's website.

I view that, at the very least, as unethical but is it anything more than that? Possibly illegal on the basis that it is designed only to mislead? Are there any actions which can be taken to stop this happening?

[Webwork]

It's hard to craft a winning argument of "rights to exclusivity", "trading off" or confusion when one chooses to "do business" by using the most generic, highly descriptive domain / website address in the affiliate space.

A domain that is synonymous "with the industry" - marketing.tld, sales.tld, news.tld, packaging.tld, travel.tld, etc - is likewise a domain that would present maddening issues if the mere registration or deployment of "the industry's descriptor" enabled the user to exclude or limit others in their right to use the same descriptor. Do you really think the builder of Marketing.co.uk would have global rights of limitation? News.co.uk? Travel.co.uk? What a mess that would create, wouldn't it? I could imagine the savvy early registrant of Insurance.elbonia or Investing.elbonia , etc. (See "Dilbert") would rule the world.

OTOH, IF I engaged in a host of other behaviors, such as copying the competitor's website design elements, that THAT might serve as the basis for a bona fide trading-off charge.

McDonald's "golden arches" are a bit more of a unique identifier than is a hamburger on a bun, don't you think?

[nomis5]

Mods, three or more posts (including one of mine) have disappeared from this thread. Any chance of restoring them?

[lucy24]

They will magically reappear on their own. It's been happening all over the place as a byproduct of the server move.

[nomis5]

Never reappeared!

[nomis5]

Collateral damage from the site update. It happens.