Tesla Motors Acquires Tesla.com: We Speak with the Seller
namepros.com
namepros.com
Then a couple years a ago, a new fullscreen had somehow gotten the trademark. They said that I should sell the name because they had a trademark. Not being very clever, I sold it. I'd even been using the name again selling apps -- but my first use with the apps was a little after this new fullscreen got their trademark.
Maybe I screwed up -- but it felt to me like whoever had the money for lawyers was going to win a battle like that.
Who is "they"?
$ whois fullscreen.com | grep Registrant
Registry Registrant ID: Not Available From Registry
Registrant Name: DNS Admin
Registrant Organization: Fullscreen, Inc
Registrant Street: 12180 Millennium Drive
Registrant City: Los Angeles
Registrant State/Province: California
Registrant Postal Code: 90094
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.3107409530
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: devops@fullscreen.netVery litigious. They are the same group behind the fine bros trying to trademark the word "React"
http://superfame.com/post/fine-brothers-copyright-react-trad...
http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/01/youtubes-fine-bros-face-le...
and notorious for taking down videos or claiming copyright google h3 productions and fullscreen.
Read: Tesla finally offered enough money. He just can't say as much because it would have made it easier for Tesla to argue he's squatting.
That quote from Jason Calacanis is horribly butchered, too.
Has nothing to do with it. There is allegedly an NDA is the reason. Once the sale is done you can say whatever you want there is no action the buyer can take. Price if high enough might end up in some other document though.
It sounds like the subject is the owner of Tesla.com:
> If [Bob] decides they want to buy a nice condo or house, sure, it’s a great idea [for Bob] to spend $500k or $1m buying that name.
If you click through to the full quote you can see clearly that the subject is the purchaser of the domain.
> NP: Do you advise startups on domain name acquisitions? If so, can you share some of your common recommendations?
> Jason: I do this often, and the conversation is usually “fake it until you make it.” So, there is no problem being TeslaMotors.com forever. Obviously the car and people who make the car are the most important aspect of the success of that company.
> However, if the person with Tesla.com decides they want to buy a nice condo or house, sure, it’s a great idea to spend $500k or $1m buying that name. If the person with Tesla.com waits too long, they miss the opportunity to take 10% of the purchase price in stock (or some kicker like that). They also risk pissing off the management team at a startup, who will eventually realize, “well, our cars are the best in the world and this domain name is not essential.”
Noticed recently that an Asian manufacturer registered teslabox.net, for their Tesla Model S accessory. Maybe someone wanted to buy my domain.
For example, if Tesla.com was running automotive content, it would give Tesla Motors a strong argument that Tesla.com is confusingly similar to their own.
This happens sometimes with parked domains because the ads come through a feed from an ad network. These networks have some basic keyword targeting, so a generic domain owner can accidentally run ads for the exact company they are trying to not infringe on.
UDRP won't get you a name unless certain conditions are met and even then there are ways to hold onto the name (you can file federal lawsuits for example) if there is enough money involved.
In the end this becomes a battle of nerves as well as gambling as to what the fold price will be of both parties before they walk.
The truth though is tesla.com is what I call a bastard domain. As a result of the fact that Tesla is effectively the only buyer of the name (because any new use they'd have established broad rights by their popularity let's say) it would be hard for a new buyer to justify purchasing the domain for as high of a price as Tesla would pay for it.
I wonder when they will make the full switch?
Separately buying and selling domains is a legitimate business (and there are companies that do this on the stock exchanges).
Squatter dates back to a few cases in the 90's where tech guys held their companies names ransome or certain people tried to register unique trademarks with the clear intention of holding out for large sums of money.
Nothing gives Tesla the god given right to just get that name because they are Tesla (in these particular circumstances).