Computer game names in domain

I would get some legal advise on adding game names in a domain name,

from a lawyer as you don't want to get into any trouble later on down the line, so generally stay away from doing this.

No, it's not OK. This is trademark infringement and not only are you legally liable for damages caused to their brand because of it, they can also trivially take your domains by filing a UDRP complaint (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy).

You can run a legal website on the topic of these games, but you can't use trademarked terms in your domain name.

Thanks for the replies. I wondered because it seems common practice with many popular websites. Even the less popular computer games get astronomical traffic potential

You can do it, I have several names with trademarked game names. Usually game companies/devs don't care. But they do have the right to cease the domain from you at anytime. Again that usually never happens.

Unless you're going to make it a satire or parody site, you might get a trademark complaint.

What about a subdomain? Wikia.com seem to be able to do it, and plenty of other authority sites.

"Skyrim", for example; a game released a couple of years ago, still gets well over one million, two hundred thousand searches per month. Makes your eyes water.

i already used one domain about guildwars 2 but got no issue... also if you make it as fanpage and let them now you can use... usuallay they dont care... but for some games they care.

You know I have had several occassions where I received that email from that desk jockey who claims to be a lawyer who actually is probably a paralegal anyways.

Ebay, Amazon, the NFL...... Yes I am important and don't forget it :-)

Only once did I pull a website down because they were correct and I was green.
I didn't pull it down for ebay, Amazon or the Nfl because all three sites had nothing on them and they could not tell me my domain name meant there brand. For each domain had two or three other words with it.

Now with that stated, I have used exact names of games and other products to promote them and have never received notification about pulling it.

I think most know that if your using it responsibly and making money for them they will not say anything.

So make a judgement call, if you get a letter and make sure they can find you so you get it. Then pull it.

I did let the ebaystudyguide.com amazonstudyguide.com and nflwinningstreak.com expire though. No good to me since I really couldn't use it after that.

www.tombraiderforums.com - Powered by vBulletin actually exists, and Gears Community Online Network | A Gears of War Fan Site is close to what you were looking for.

Is it illegal? As Dan pointed out, if the game creators want to screw you for it, they most certainly can do so. So that's a risk you'll have to take if you want to do so.

Here's what's important- STRONGLY emphasize that your sites are fan sites and community sites, unofficial sites, etc. If you build a great community of engaged fans, the game developers might even see you as an asset, contact you, engage you, etc. Or they might try to shut you down. It can go either way.

The risk-free approach is to avoid it altogether. But that might not necessarily be the most rewarding path.

But be careful do so,it may has trademark issue,
or you can get approved by the company then you may do

Funny enough I had this case with a company I work for and went through the process to get the domain off of someone profiting from our name. But it was specifically the same company name. I'm from the UK like you. This probably differs in the US.

Technically you can do it but the company who owns the trademark can come after you to buy the domain from you or legally get it transferred via Nominet in the UK. The service is this:

Resolving disputes & complaints | Nominet

It's still a pretty sketchy area IMO. If you tried to get say gearsofwar.com the games company would come after you and be able to get the domain no problem.

But if it's gearsofwarfans.com or similar, they would debate whether it's really worth it (the process can cost several hundred Pounds) and whether your site adds value to their brand as a fan site. I think they could try and get the domain off of you but might be happy for you to serve their fans if you're doing a nice job that's not ripping the fans off. So really it's a gamble and it depends on the content you're offering.

What is interesting, and somewhat annoying to the trademark owner, is that when you complain Nominet first query with the owner of the domain if they agree they are ripping off the trademark owner. If they say no and come up with a reason, Nominet side with them and give the complainer the option to go to a judge which costs about £800 win or lose. Another option is to broker a settlement fee with the domain owner which is often about the same cost as the judge option but guarantees transfer so most people end up opting for this. What this means is if anyone buys a bunch of domains cheap, they can often make a nice profit by waiting until the owner complains and then sell them for £800 each. In our case, the guy got our name in a domain for just £30. Nice profit for him!

Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful.

I just want to point out tho that I didn't want to draw attention to any website in particular. That's why I used .xxx

If this was a fan site and completely not-for-profit you can have a go at it, otherwise stay clear from doing this for business/commercial purposes.

If you are willing to create a gaming website or forum, why would you bother to add a game name in the domain? There are thousands of other beautiful gaming related domains available.

I own gearsofwar3secrets.com, anyone want to buy it?

Issues can definitely pop up when you start using copyrighted product names in your domains. When promoting games launches, I use a central gaming domain (topgamesales.xx, gamingoffers.xx, etc..) then use sub-domains to include the game names (gearsofwar.topgamesales.xx). You can easily remove the sub domain without risking your entire site.