Salesforce.com loses dispute over Forces.com domain name at National Arbitration Forum.
Salesforce.com has lost an attempt to get the domain name Forces.com, which it said was similar to its Force.com domain name.
The registrant’s predecessor had registered the domain name before Salesforce.com started using the Force.com domain name. As Elliot Silver pointed out when the case was filed, the domain name also had a page about the armed forces.
A three member National Arbitration Forum panel found that the domain name was not confusingly similar to a mark in which Salesforce.com had rights.
Forces.com owner Internet Venture Holdings, Inc. was represented by John Berryhill.
I find this UDRP filing rather interesting since the company is savvy about the value of generic domain names. It purchased Data.com for $4.5 million and also owns Social.com (the sales price on Social.com was likely at least $2.6 million since a party bought it at auction for that much).
Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff even sold the domain name Bill.com.
For a company savvy about great generic domain names, why would it take this approach for Forces.com?
Cheap shot says
A cheap stab at rdnh
No question about it
Cheap domain hijacking says
Is SalesForce really trying to protect their TMs or just attempting to grab Forces .com at a bargain price?
If their prime criteria is to protect SalesForce TMs, why haven’t they gone after
SalesForces .com or
SalesForceSoftware .com or
USSalesForce .com ???
For a company as large as SalesForce, $5-10k legal cost to acquire Forces is chump change.
I believe SalesForces is for sale around $ 165k.
If they were interested in defensive registrations, why haven’t they reg’d USSalesForces .com ??
Karen Bernstein says
Hats off to John!
Al Frank says
Question;
My buddy has had a domain name for
years prior to a company regrouping
and naming it exactly like his domain
name is spelled out.
They also trade marked it.
Everyone is telling him they
can sue him for it.
Is there any truth to it or do
they have to buy it?
What I just read tells me they just
Can’t take it.
Thank You
Andrew Allemann says
I suppose they can sue him, but they are unlikely to win based on what you’ve described. Your friend should avoid using the domain in an infringing way to be safe.