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Comment by skaber | Hacker News Reader

So there's really no way for a company to take over a domain if they have a legitimate reason? My company's dot com shows what looks to be a low value video. I've reached out to the guy a few years ago and he simply replied that there were some things that money couldn't buy... Petal.com if you're interested. I'd love to have that domain, and yeah it's affecting our brand.

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There are ways but "I named my company after a common English word, someone already owns the domain for that word and it would benefit me to own it instead" is not a legitimate reason.

Agreed 100%. If your company was founded sometime after 2000 and you picked a name before registering that domain, you have no one to blame but yourself. You could say 2003 if you want to be generous.

I bought my first domain in 1996 for a startup I was doing. I thought I was late to the domain registration game.

There is a process you can go through with ICANN and WIPO if you feel that you both (a) have a legitimate claim to the domain name and (b) the current owner does not have a legitimate claim. If the panel sides with you, then the domain will be transferred to you.

Note that (b) is - intentionally - quite difficult to prove, and is designed to prevent overtly bad-faith cyber-squatting without allowing "he who came late to the game but has more money wins" type of reverse-hijacking.

Since "petal" is a common word that you chose to use, but did not invent or have worldwide common recognition with, you very likely won't have much of a chance of using the dispute resolution process to obtain petal.com.

Interesting article about the early days of domain ownership disputes here:

http://www.americanbar.org/publications/communications_lawye...

Lawyers would take a long, expensive timedefining "legitimate".

Looks like it's no longer loading anything.

Likely it was not enough money %)

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