Comments on: Using WordPress in Your Domain Name? Don’t! http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/ Helping you learn more and do more with WordPress Wed, 22 May 2013 09:02:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Omgwp http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-969894 Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:30:59 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-969894 Pinwordpress which is the unique social pinboard dedicated to wordpress has been re branded to omgwp.com @http://www.omgwp.com, after the wordpress foundation raised trademark concern about the domain name.

]]> By: Lorelle VanFossen http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-913865 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:53:23 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-913865 Your attorney didn’t quite give you the whole story. Using someone’s name is different from using a trademark. If the actress had trademarked her name, and the site was about her, then the issue would be totally different. WordPress is a trademark, as is Mac. Macworld has permission to use the name, and some companies allow usage of their trademark name in domain names and site titles. However, WordPress does not.

]]> By: Mark B http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-913853 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:50:35 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-913853 It’s an interesting debate. Some people think that if you have a site about WordPress, it’s okay to use the name in your domain, for example the way “Macworld” is a publication about Macs.

I had an interesting domain trademark conflict a few years ago. When the show “Alias” became popular, I decided to set up a Jennifer Garner fan site. I registered one of the available names…I think it was jennifergarner.net. A few weeks later, as I was working on getting the site up, I got a letter from her attorneys demanding that I immediately surrender the domain name to her at no charge.

I checked with my attorney, and he said that she doesn’t own exclusive rights to that name (even if it’s her name), and that I am perfectly within my rights to use it in a descriptive fashion (as in a fan site about her) as long as I’m not exploiting her or misrepresenting my site as “official” or anything like that. He basically told her attorneys to back off. I never heard anything else from them, but I let the domain expire (because I no longer had interest in promoting Ms. Garner). Funny thing was, when it expired, her people never registered it. It was such a big deal to them, then…nothing.

During all this, I checked with other owners of jennifergarner domains. They all got the same letter. To spite her, a webmaster in England found a college student there named Jennifer Garner, and he made his site all about her. His point was that the actress is very arrogant to act as if no one else in the world is allowed to have a website with her name…even if it’s their name too.

]]> By: Velvet Blues http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-909813 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:49:37 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-909813 This is very interesting. This article was posted in 2006. Today, WordPress is used very commonly both in domains, titles, and company names. I wonder how WordPress has updated their ‘enforcement’ of their trademark.

]]> By: EmmaB http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-909334 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:45:38 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-909334 Oh wow, thanks for letting me know about this! I had no idea about the policy and had already bought and started work on a domain called WordPressSchool. I made tracks to change it after finding out about the policy. I am now UnofficialWPSchool. That way people know it isnt an officially affiliated with WordPress :)

Your blog is the best, Lorelle!

]]> By: Lorelle VanFossen http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-906854 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:44:23 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-906854 @ Shugle:

Automattic, the parent company of WordPress, is not working hard to stop the use of their trademark name. They are relying upon the good gracious and understanding of their fans, and gently requesting that people play nice. Nor is it likely it will become a generic name, though it is possible. I’d think it would be fun to say I’m a WordPresser instead of blogger. :D

]]> By: Shugle http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-906842 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:52:25 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-906842 Using word press in your domain name or otherwise is absolotely illegal. Word press is working hard to prevent it becoming a generic name so is doing google.

What a pity that these guys earlier worked hard to make their names famous and now they are working hard for stopping them from becoming too famous :) )

]]> By: Beautiful Minds. http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-849208 Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:59:23 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-849208 thats a smart stuff!

]]> By: Lambert Pierre http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-782770 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:47:54 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-782770 you should take a cautious approach when it is matter of trademarks and IP

]]> By: Lorelle VanFossen http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-733667 Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:34:37 +0000 http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/using-wordpress-in-your-domain-name-dont/#comment-733667 @Narty Austria:

Actually, I got permission first. They examined it carefully before giving permission. It also launched a lot of “Fred on WordPress” named blogs on WordPress.com, and most of those have now changed their names because they aren’t blogging about WordPress.

I am no pillar of anything in the WordPress Community. I’m just one of the many with no special privileges. At any moment, WordPress could change their mind and send me a cease and desist order.

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