2 questions:
1. does the company own the rights to that name
2. how much could a name like that be be sold for
If so, you need to understand that the .com doesn't make your name unique for trademark purposes.
It all depends on when you registered the name, what you have done with the website, and what you intend to do with the website.
But I think you have zero chance of using this site in any way related to the product or a similar product without the company coming down on you hard.
In that case, it's not how much the domain is WORTH that you should be concerned with. It's how much it's going to COST you.
I'll beat webwork to the punch and suggest that you contact a good trademark attorney with domain name experience.
It is just a parked page, with no intention of creating a site related to the product.
You will be lucky not to get sued in addition to losing the name.
Think about it this way, if you developed a product and went to register the domain only to find someone trying to sell it to you because they knew you would want it at some stage, how would you feel? Big companies will no get upset, they will just set their lawyers on you.
You are merely being opportunistic, the whole reason why the domain industry has/had a bad name.
Do the right thing and hand the name over as soon as they ask (if not before), for no mark-up.
Think about it this way, if you developed a product and went to register the domain only to find someone trying to sell it to you because they knew you would want it at some stage, how would you feel?
Personally a damned fool for not having registered it before anyone else!
I find it amazing that the company had not registered it before even commencing test marketing if they were considering a site for it.
You will be lucky not to get sued in addition to losing the name.
Not if the site is developed for another product or use. There are many instance of so-called trademarked names used for different products.
I had a business trading name that a major drinks company wanted for a new product they had trademarked.
They paid, they paid a lot to get that name, there were no arguments from their side.
It is just a parked page, with no intention of creating a site related to the product.
You are (rightfully) going to lose the name without any compensation.
Not necessarily so unless you are the arbitrator.
All they need to do is initiate the Domain Name Dispute Resolution process.
Not a guaranteed success. Just because one shouts loudly does not mean one is being heard the most.
What you do is generally considered as cyber squatting.
Not if it is developed as an altogether different site.
Are the .net/org/biz/info/us/eu still available?
Have they registered any of those?
If not then they would definitely be on thin ice since they're not even trying to protect their intended trademark.
If this is a made-up name and they did nothing about registering a USD 10 name prior to their test launch then the arbitrators rightfully might look at them very sceptically.
[arbiter.wipo.int...]
I'm not a lawyer, don't take any of my advice accept to consult a lawyer knowledgeable in trademark and domain law.
Do they believe, if push were to come to shove, that they could bulldozer their "rights"?
It's a very strange way to run a business when a trading name can be so valuable.
Do they believe, if push were to come to shove, that they could bulldozer their "rights"?
They ARE rights. No quotes around it. So, they don't need a bulldozer.
If that is the case, IMO he will lose in a UDRP case hands down - unless he crafts the site into something radically different. Even then, the fact (this is assuming my assumption is correct) that he registered the name *after* the product name was leaked out on the web ... won't bode well for him.
