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Product names
brent485
Posts: 2
Joined: 22 Jun 09
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16 Jun 10 3:38 am

Product names

Hi, I can not seem to find a clear answer to this question,if any one can help this would be great.
Can you use a product Name, and Register it as a domain name, to sell that Companys product.Is this ethical? I hope this makes sense. Thanks for your help,
Brent
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faradina
Posts: 1895
Joined: 01 Jun 09
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16 Jun 10 1:48 pm

 Hi Brent,

Better not. You may find yourself in a situation where your website is suspended and you will need to turn over the domain to the product manufacturer. Product names are mostly copyrighted or trademarked (don't really know what they call it, exactly, but it's got to do with intellectual property rights and brand names and all that) and using them as your domain name would be a violation of the copyright/trademark, even if you intend to sell the product on your website.
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happyaff
Posts: 9
Joined: 30 Apr 09
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16 Jun 10 1:53 pm

 You can, but usually only do this if the product name is not trademarked. I recently bought a course from another online marketer which states that you should perform certain checks before purchasing such a domain name. First, do a search and see if others are using the product name in any domains. If there are quite a few, it "may" be a sign that the company allows this. Next, go to the official product's website and check the terms and conditions for affiliates. This is normally spelled out somewhere. Also, while on the product website, check to see if there is a small "TM" logo next to the product name. If so, do not use the name in your domain.

You will see many people using product names in their domains. Either they have checked it out before doing so, or they are doing so at their own risk and have deemed the risk to be worth the return. If you end up being in violation, the product owner can have you shut down and/or fined, so just do your homework first. Good luck in your endeavors. :)
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brent485
Posts: 2
Joined: 22 Jun 09
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16 Jun 10 11:15 pm

 Thanks for your help,greatly appreciated.
Brent
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lindaknor65
Posts: 5
Joined: 19 Mar 12
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19 Mar 12 4:26 am

 If you belong to an Affiliate program like ShareASale, Commission Junction or LinkShare to mention a few; you need to read the terms and conditions of the program and also check the terms and conditions of the individual merchant you are promoting. I have found that most are very specific about how you can and can't use their names and their product names. Most of them specifically say that you cannot use any version of their name even misspelled in your website url.

Hope this helps,
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Linda Norton

One stop shopping for kids and family
http://www.kidoffer.com
 

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