Dispute Imminent

[clasione]

Dispute Imminent

There is a large search engine optimization firm in California USA that operates under the name "SEO Inc." and has it's website located at seoinc.com - I'm sure most of you know about this company.

Coincidentily, I registered the domain name www.seoincorporated.com back in January of this year.

Turns out that their website was banned from the Google index early this month (April) , leaving this huge search engine optimization firm nowhere to be found in the Google search engine.

Once your site is banned from Google, it's pretty much known or atleast suspected that you'd better off just buy another name rather then try and get a re-inclusion as it rarely happens...

I'd bet that they are already in the works of putting something together for this name as I would imagine it would be a must have for me if I were in their shoes....

What do you think I should do if they make a request for it... Since "SEO" is an abbreviation of an entire industry, would I be subject to infringment if my firm is also a "search engine optimization" firm which is "incorporated"?

[ADAM Web Design]

This is a legal grey area from the sounds of it.

I know that it's illegal in Canada to use Incorporated or Limited in your company name unless your company is incorporated or limited. I'd imagine the same is true in America. So they may be able to contact ICANN and get it switched on those grounds. I don't know ICANN's policy on this, but I'd imagine they'd be able to put together a pretty strong case.

Now...what you COULD do is turn SEO into an abbreviation for something else for a different site entirely. Might I suggest "Superstar Experts Online"?

A quick incorporation, a little promotion, the domain can't be touched and is worth a buttload to that search engine optimization firm...since it's a domain that could be used for their company and they wouldn't have to do the PR work.

You'd probably have to spend between $1500 and $2000 total, but it might be worth it.

[clasione]

ADAM, thanks for the detailed responce... It is a bit of a gray area....

Well for now, seo is my business field and I'm incorporated no I have a feasable defence I assume for now, But I will be conducting a bit research on this in the coming days... But to be very honest...
If I were them, I'd be as close as possible to taking it if it could be done....

I can't believe they didn't already own it... and I'm amazed that something like this happened to them only 2-3 months after I bought it...

I don't know if this is good luck or bad luck....
But I'm sure I will find out soon enough...

[clasione]

I don't know if this is supposed to be good or bad luck for me, but I guess I'll find out soon enough...

It's not like I bought knowing this was going to happen, it's public info that I registered it before this hapened but when I heard the news the wheels started spinning....

Tyhanks for your detailed reponce... for now I'll do some more investigating but I have atleast a feasable defence...

My companies is in the business of seo and I am incorporated so it feels like it's a huge gray area.. lets see what happens....

[clasione]

Check this out... I should be fine, it's not their legal name:

2 entities from California Corporations


SEO, INC. - Home & Real Estate Loans & Mortgages
Number: C2242187 Date Filed: 1/2/2001 Status: active
Jurisdiction: California
Address
2431 W COAST HWY STE 205
NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92663
Agent for Service of Process
STEVE OLSEN
2431 W COAST HWY STE 205
NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92663

_______________________________________________

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION INC.
Number: C2421743 Date Filed: 6/26/2002 Status: active
Jurisdiction: California
Address
6183 PASEO DEL NORTE STE 250
CARLSBAD, CA 92009
Agent for Service of Process
GARRY GRANT
2408A SACADA CIR
CARLSBAD, CA 92009

[swadam]

The company name got nothing to do with it. Different company in diferent states or countries can have similar name.

The only thing that you should be concerned with is, if they have a trademark on that name.

You can easily check that in

www.Uspto.gov