Verizon Acquires iPhone Domains Ahead of Early 2011 Launch: Did Verizon Actually Buy The Domains?
According to the blog, 9to5mac.com, Verizon just bought or had transferred to it the domain names iPhoneonVerizon.com and iPhoneforVerizon.com.
Verizon has long been rumored to be getting its own version of the iPhone in early 2011, which since launch has only been available in the US at AT&T.
According to the 9to5 blog, both domains were previously registered at GoDaddy by a Jack Benton. The domains are currently registered at Mark Monitor.
The question now becomes did Verizon how has been as aggressive as any trademark holder bring lawsuits and UDRP’s against domain holders, actually buy the domains from the domain holder?
I did not find a UDRP filed on either of these domains, nor could I find a federal lawsuit that was filed over them.
Moreover the same person that owned this domain owns the domains iPhoneonSprint.com and iPhoneonATT.com.
If the domain holder was forced though a C & D to give up the Verizon names, why would he still be hanging on to the other hot potato domains for Sprint and ATT?
On the other hand which trademark holder has better rights to the domains that Verizon got, Verizon or Apple?
If Verizon still doesn’t have a formal agreement to sell the iPhone yet, isn’t Verizon infringing on Apple’s trademark by owning the domains?
Finally the domains are still pointed to the site run by the former owner instead of to Verizon.
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>> On the other hand which trademark holder
has better rights to the domains that Verizon got, Verizon or
Apple? Yeah. That’s a good question. Kinda reminds me of this
similar situation where SalesForce.COM tried to get a bunch of
domains that had 2 trademarks in them:
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/04/28/salesforcecom-registers-21-trademarked-domain-names/
Verizon frequently sends notices to domain owners asking them to hand domains over. That’s probably what happened here.
Maybe they’ve wised up to the fact that it’s cheaper and faster to buy than fight. Someone got there first- to avoid this in the future- a company like this needs more brainpower in marketing than legal.
btw that’s advice Howard gave me that I should have followed but didn’t years back– so I understand the value prop.
I also noticed that tmobileiphone.com is owned by Deutsche Telekom, parent company of T-mobile.