Quick Question on Trademarks...

4 replies
Ill use this as an example....
'hoover.com
(like the vacuum assume they have it protected) bad right obviously..

How about www.hoo-ver.com?

I'd like to know the rule....

Because I have a site I want to build.

Thanks
#question #quick #trademarks
  • Profile picture of the author Brad Gosse
    Probably not a smart plan if it's as strong a brand as hoover.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jays80
      Not very good idea. if promoting/trashing their products, you could be in bigger trouble.

      i would stay away.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
    Christian,
    I'd recommend you speak to a trademark lawyer before using that (or similar domain). It's complex and these big companies will fiercely protect their trademark including similar typed domains.

    Rich
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    • Profile picture of the author FrankJohnson
      Two quick points:

      1) The dash won't make a bit of difference if you're playing in the same space as the vacuum company (selling vacuum cleaners, for example).

      2) Trademarks are divided into classes (I think there are 40-50). So if there is a company calling their software product "Widget A," I can still call my microwave oven "Widget A" because it would be in a different class - there's not much likelihood of the average consumer being confused between the two. One is software, the other is a microwave oven.

      So in general, if your website was in a different class than the other trademark holder's business, you'd generally be safe.

      The exception comes when the other trademark is so well known that using the mark in another class wouldn't prevent confusion. For example, if I tried to call my microwave oven the "Coca Cola Microwave," that wouldn't fly.

      That's one reason why Richard's advice is really important - a trademark lawyer would be able to advise you on how prominent the Hoover trademark is (pretty prominent in my mind, but obviously not at the level of Coca Cola), whether there are other "Hoover" trademarks in the class your website would fit into, etc., etc.

      Frank
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