Anyone Keen On a Domain Legal Forum?

7 replies
Hi folks,

I'm exploring the possibility of setting up an online forum to try covering all or
any "legalities" involving domain names since I happen to be rather passionate
about them. One thing I notice is people wanting to post specifics, but rather
can't.

The main reason is anything posted online can be found, especially if another
party is smart enough to find them. As the saying goes, anything you say (or
post online in this case) can be used against you.

Given that, I'm thinking of creating a place where people can "freely" post all
and any specifics they desire, yet hardly worry about them being found. I am
not sure if it's realistically possible to block out any search engine from being
able to see it and "cache" it like Google does, but I'll do what I can based on
those among you more familiar with that aspect.

I can set the forum to not show any content unless one's logged in, so that's
another possible solution to that cache thing. A user who might have a beef
with another can surely see their posts, but I aim to limit membership to try
to keep that low.

Additionally, I've had the good fortune to meet various lawyers on the subject
with real-world experience to back them up. You could say the forum can act
as a "bridge" to them, though whatever "arrangements" a member makes with
any of those lawyers will be outside the potential forum's scope.

I'd say I'm pretty much aware of its various risks, though it's fine if anyone in
here can share what they think or know. Then again, what venture doesn't?

Of course, I'd add any special deals, freebies, whatever can be found to make
it more...enticing? I'll consider enabling others to pitch their offers, though it's
still in the air.

Like any venture, it'll cost money. And to try making it more "private", it'll be a
paid-access forum.

If I launch it, I'm thinking of making it an arguably low-entry fee for one year.
Depending how things go, I might open more memberships, raise the year fee,
or even make it monthly.

So what do you folks think? Any of you keen?

(Hmm, I think I just gave a possibly good idea away. Oh well, ideas are a dime
a dozen...)
#domain #forum #keen #legal
  • Profile picture of the author Dave777
    Just a suggestion! You may want to have a chat with Phil Craig who's a warrior member, domainer and lawyer.

    In one of his previous domaining video series and info products he was offering an additional module covering misc. services and legal aspects of the domaining business! He might have a few ideas for you or who knows, a tie-in to his ongoing domaining product line...
    Phil Craig - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
    WarriorForum - Internet Marketing Forums - View Profile: Phil Craig

    Dave
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    • Profile picture of the author artwebster
      While this might be a good idea, you will have to ensure that you have sufficient legally qualified members to be able to answer questions from all points of the globe unless you restrict membership to the USA.

      I don't know if it is the case, but I believe professional indemnity insurance only applies to those to whom the advice or information is directly given (certainly my own does, but I'm not a lawyer). This would raise the question of whether a member of the forum will be considered as 'in direct receipt' of advice and information posted for the benefit of another member.

      You would probably cover yourself, to a degree by making it very clear that the forum IS NOT to be used for obtaining legal advice or information but that it is a conduit to those qualified to give it - privately. You know the law, nowadays - a fresh cup of coffee is hot but if there isn't a warning, you can sue if you burn your mouth on one.
      Signature

      You might not like what I say - but I believe it.
      Build it, make money, then build some more
      Some old school smarts would help - and here's to Rob Toth for his help. Bloody good stuff, even the freebies!

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      • Profile picture of the author IMChick
        (Hi, I'm a lawyer. Just thought I'd get that out of the way)

        Your idea adds a membership price component to the legal referral business, which is an interesting concept. Present a forum and run it like google answers with a 'click here for a lawyer (qualified in this subject) in your area' button. Hmmm.

        In general, any forum or membership site giving quasi-legal advice is in for a rough time. My personal advice is to stay far far away from this. Practically speaking, you can't moderate every comment. If you can, you shouldn't. It can quickly get out of hand and you will also have the added attraction of finding legal counsel to represent you on a charge of practicing (or facilitating) the practice of law without a license. Something to think about.

        As far as the list of IM or domain friendly attorneys goes, great idea, but it's just a referral list after all. Does a non-attorney make the legal distinction of who is qualified to participate? Is this person qualified in every State? How do they give advice as a non-attorney?

        Your concept is good in theory, but I don't believe it has practical application.

        One of the more interesting IM things of note that I've found is that there is very little money being spent on legal fees by the 'average' IM-er running a business. While everyone in IM says that they are making large amounts of money, it's seemingly ok to 'do-it-yourself' and forgo the legal counsel while keeping your fingers crossed that you got part of it right. No-one thinks to consult their (insert professional name here, lawyer, accountant, banker), before or during a matter's set up and inception. The stumbling block that they run into is that consulting a lawyer to un-wind a deal after it begins to go bad costs a lot more money than having it set up properly to begin with.

        Perhaps the solution would be to create a subject heading in the WF for Virtual Real Estate and Domains to consolidate the thoughts and threads of like-minded people on the subject. But no legal advice, for that your best bet is to consult your own professional.

        I'd like to see some brainstorming on this subject...
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        • Profile picture of the author davezan
          Thanks for the feedback, guys. I wholeheartedly agree one ought to invest in
          an accountant, banker, or even a lawyer in this instance for legal issues.

          I guess one other catch here is it'll try to cover situations before they occur,
          rather than when they happen, especially if it's a civil suit. After all, nothing is
          going to beat seeking and listening to advice from one's lawyer if that person
          is going through one that time.

          If anything, it so happens not a lot of people either really can't afford them or
          can but aren't necessarily willing. I'm thinking the forum will try to strike some
          balance, but with emphasis that nothing beats retaining one and if especially
          in the midst of an on-going filed dispute.

          Incidentally there's a so-called legal forum out there I know that covers quite
          a variety of legal subjects, yet it states what it can and can't really do. Not
          that it won't stop someone from suing them if they're prepared to, but they're
          pretty much ready for that possibility.

          I've already gotten some ideas out of that forum what I ought to be careful of
          and a whole lot more, which can hardly be covered entirely here. But let's just
          say I've learned to expect the worst and try to be set for them also.

          Anyway, I'm just exploring. I'm ultimately willing to drop the idea if it really will
          not pan out, but I figured I ought to give others a chance to see if any of 'em
          is open to it despite its risks.

          If anyone else is interested, keep that feedback coming. Both good and bad.
          Signature

          David

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  • Profile picture of the author IMChick
    Hi, Dave,

    Keep me posted on how this ends up developing for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Louis Raven
    Originally Posted by ProductCreator View Post

    Given that dnforum.com already exists, I don't really see the market for this.
    Let alone the fact that no search engine will send traffic to it. This is a dud in my opinion, but.. I also am not fanatic about domain discussion so if you believe you can do it, go ahead my friend.

    Louis
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