QUESTION
I own the domain name of a current sitting US Senator. He is seeking re-electing in 2012. I need some major advice...
Asked on Aug 06th, 2011 on Intellectual Property - North Carolina
More details to this question:
I literally own the domain name of a US senator. He didn''t register it. I''m a miserable wreck here because I don''t know what to do. Their campaign office is offering me $2000 but it was a PAIN getting them to go that high. This senator currently has $2.2 million in cash reserves in his campaign fund. I had one person offer to broker the domain for me, which involves signing a contract and he makes 20% commission after $5000. Meaning he makes 0 commission if it sells for $5k or less.
Another option is to create it into a website. I actually already did this. http://www.sheldonwhitehouse.com/ It has advertisements on it. People tell me that I could make a lot more than the $2,000 offer they gave me for the domain.
What am I legally allowed to do? I''m a WRECK. I cannot sleep!
1 ANSWER
Patent Application Attorney serving New York, NY
at
Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP
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Registering the name of a famous person as a domain name is a violation of the Anti-cybersquatting Act, 15 USC 1125(d), this includes Senators. I suggest you speak to an attorney that specializes in this type of law for a specific answer to your legal question.
Philip Braginsky, Sills Cummis and Gross
http://www.sillscummis.com/attorney/attorney.asp?id=1051
Answered on Aug 12th, 2011 at 5:25 PM