Guest #1 March 5, 2004 "Earl" is at it again. When registering the Seattle Skydivers domain a couple of years ago, I didn't bother with registering all variants, like .net, etc., just ".org", because I didn't think anyone could possibly care less about the domain. Guess I was wrong. This time "Earl" has registered the domain "seattleskydivers.com": WHOIS information for seattleskydivers.com: [whois.enom.com] Registration Service Provided By: RegisterFly.com Contact: [email protected] Visit: http://www.RegisterFly.com Domain name: seattleskydivers.com Registrant Contact: CASC, Inc. CASC Inc. ([email protected]) 770-684-6909 Fax: none PO Box 440383Kennesaw, GA 30160 US Administrative Contact: CASC, Inc. CASC Inc. ([email protected]) 770-684-6909 Fax: none PO Box 440383Kennesaw, GA 30160 US Technical Contact: CASC, Inc. CASC Inc. ([email protected]) 770-684-6909 Fax: none PO Box 440383Kennesaw, GA 30160 US Billing Contact: CASC, Inc. CASC Inc. ([email protected]) 770-684-6909 Fax: none PO Box 440383Kennesaw, GA 30160 US Status: Locked --------------------------------- Next thing you know he'll be passing himself off as local, just like his bogus "skydiveseattle.com" does. Seems to be this is a clear case of domain hijacking. Now I'm curious: Is there any legal recourse that the club can take? An organization that has been around for 50 years (yes, this is our 50th anniversary) shouldn't be diminished by an unethical misrepresentation. As a non-profit, Seattle Skydivers isn't in it for the money like "Earl" is. And what bothers me most is that Clueless Joe Public is going to go to the .com site, get ripped off, and blame my club. I'd like to know what DZs (if any) around here are doing business with this schmuck. mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hazarrd 1 #2 March 5, 2004 its hard to do anything legally, however, if you can prove defamation, i think its possible. shoot a PM over to lawrocket, he might be able to help ya. .-. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #3 March 5, 2004 why not just reverse the order (if its available) Skydiveseatle.com ?____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #4 March 5, 2004 Quotewhy not just reverse the order (if its available) Skydiveseatle.com ? That's been hijacked too, by those schmucks in Georgia. All I can hope is that they waste their money. mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #5 March 5, 2004 Google the Lanham Act and "trademark dilution." Ask your wife about it. Maybe she can make a "cease and desist" letter. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #6 March 5, 2004 QuoteGoogle the Lanham Act and "trademark dilution." Ask your wife about it. Maybe she can make a "cease and desist" letter. Okay, but why my wife? I'm the writer in the household... mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livnbored 0 #7 March 5, 2004 that just plain sucks!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fudd 0 #8 March 5, 2004 What is status locked? Maybe he hasn't paid for it. Make a backorder for the domain, you might just be able to swipe it off his hands. If you don't ask to buy it, he probably won't care to keep it after a year. There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greene 0 #9 March 5, 2004 Is this ASC you are talking about? Even if that is not the case contact us. Would like to speak with you. I just typed a long response to dz.com, but when I checked for "spelling", duh, everything just went into the depths of my black hole computer. lee west Skydive Greene County Xenia, Ohio Send us a private e mail. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slug 1 #10 March 5, 2004 Wasn't there a recent domain thing in the news about some kid who used his name for his websight and it was close to one of the big boy's. Bill gates or someone? I think the kid beat the big boy's. There aren't that many DZ's on the west side of the mt's in Wa. I'm sure J.F. would know whats going on. She's also the conference director and Earl is a USPA GMDZO but USPA is probably "to busy" to help you out. As far as "Earl the Pearl" has he gone international yet R.I.P. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #11 March 5, 2004 > Seems to be this is a clear case of domain hijacking. Now I'm curious: Is there any legal recourse that the club can take? Given the rather generic nature of the name, I don't see it as so obvious. If he runs a site dedicated to selling to skydivers in Seattle, why should you be allowed to take it from him? Any combination of skydive and the local area is fair game, to me. And given that, I think you should have grabbed the .com variant a long time ago. The legal climate has radically swung to the side of protecting trademark owners (more than I think is fair), but do you have a trademark? Again, so long as he doesn't misrepresent the site as being your club, it's all fair. He got the domain first. BTW, the locked status merely adds barriers to modifying the domain. At 9.99/year at registryfly, I don't suspect he's giving it up anytime soon. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdctlc 0 #12 March 5, 2004 Just poked around and he has the exact same site undr www.skydiveportland.com as is the www.skydiveseattle.com. I wwonder how many other cities that he has the exact same page for?? Scott C. Edited to add: Just found www.skydivedetroit.com. this is kinda fun, what a bastard!"He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panzwami 0 #13 March 5, 2004 QuoteWasn't there a recent domain thing in the news about some kid who used his name for his websight and it was close to one of the big boy's. Bill gates or someone? I think the kid beat the big boy's. I dunno that he beat the big boy (Microsoft). He ended up swapping his website (MikeRoweSoft.com) for an XBox. http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/01/26/mikerowesoft.settle.ap/ Matt ----- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slug 1 #14 March 5, 2004 Quote Just found www.skydivedetroit.com. this is kinda fun, what a bastard! Psst have you checked any of the countries/cities in the middle east.www._________.com I'll stop there. Earl's probably already got them. Bastard? Earl could care less it's all about business. R.I.P. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3ringheathen 0 #15 March 5, 2004 ASC has a long and sordid history of unethical, but not necessarily illegal business practices. Skyride is one of their ventures. I don't know how to legally hurt them, but I'm open to suggestions! -Josh If you have time to panic, you have time to do something more productive. -Me* *Ron has accused me of plagiarizing this quote. He attributes it to Douglas Adams. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #16 March 5, 2004 I quit counting at over 100 domains ASC has Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WFFC 1 #17 March 5, 2004 Here's a quick read on first right to use a name. Might help, might not. My next question would be - the club didn't have this why? .org is generally for non profit, .com is what everyone looks to though. Best to cover the bases and make sure you're covered.----- ~~~Michael Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MakeItHappen 15 #18 March 5, 2004 Quote"Earl" is at it again. . Yeah, yeah yeah - tell me about it. I finally met Cary Quattrochi (Ive been told it is pronounced 'Cock-roachi') at the BOD meeting. When he saw SkyRide on the main agenda and unethical advertising practices on the GM Comm agenda, he took notice and wanted to address the BOD. Most of the BOD did not believe what he said. Some were peeved about the way he portrays his virtual network of DZs. Even the President of NAA expressed displeasure at what he was doing. Anyway, all USPA is going to do is send him a letter requesting that he stop his deceptive advertising. This has been done before with no results. By far, the fastest way to shut down SkyRide is to get all DZOs to refuse to accept their certificates. This can be done by educating dzos about their tactics. FMI: SkyRide on this page is a link to another page that has domains that are owned by Ben & Cary or one of their companies. There is a gathering quorum of people that have the same problem you do. Compare: http://PhiladelphiaSkydiving.net http://PhiladelphiaSkydiving.com http://sandiegoskydiving.com/ http://skydivesandiego.com/ .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
