Michelin Guides forgets to renew domain name, becomes "Michel in Guides" • Hacker News Board

Re: Michelin Guides forgets to renew domain name, becomes "Michel in Guides"

#41

Post by chimeracoder » Thu, Feb 07, 2013, 5:34 PM UTC

ajross wrote: post #17

oellegaard wrote: post #8

They made a stupid mistake, they should not be allowed to get it back.

That's maybe going too far. Clearly this is a prank. The current owner has the right (abstractly -- honestly I have no idea how this works in French law) to express their opinion as parody, and Michelin shouldn't be able to use the trademark as a cudgel to suppress that. That said, the proper remedy here is for them to buy back the domain name at a fair market price (whatever that may be, again I have no idea). The o…

> The owner shouldn't be able to "ransom" the name for an unfair price, either.

Since there is a supply of n=1, please define what an "unfair" price is, if you're not comfortable with defining it as the amount that Michelin is willing to pay.

Re: Michelin Guides forgets to renew domain name, becomes "Michel in Guides"

#42

Post by ajross » Thu, Feb 07, 2013, 6:53 PM UTC

chimeracoder wrote: post #41

ajross wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's maybe going too far. Clearly this is a prank. The current owner has the right (abstractly -- honestly I have no idea how this works in French law) to express their opinion as parody, and Michelin shouldn't be able to use the trademark as a cudgel to suppress that. That said, the proper remedy here is for them to buy back the domain name at a fair market price (whatever that may be, again I have no idea). The o…

> The owner shouldn't be able to "ransom" the name for an unfair price, either. Since there is a supply of n=1, please define what an "unfair" price is, if you're not comfortable with defining it as the amount that Michelin is willing to pay.

I can't tell if this is a joke or not. You don't think exploiting a monopoly position on a good whose value is defined by someone else's trademark is "unfair"? It's the very definition of unfair, sorry. The real world, and the law, recognize that. I'm disturbed that you don't.

The prank is acceptable. The ransom is not.

Re: Michelin Guides forgets to renew domain name, becomes "Michel in Guides"

#43

Post by petercooper » Thu, Feb 07, 2013, 8:49 PM UTC

mdp wrote: post #10

petercooper wrote: post #2

I got my full name in .co.uk from a similar mishap (there's a large car dealership in the UK called Peter Cooper, curiously). Bizarrely they never came after me or even got in touch and bought a new domain instead, though it'd have been a harder case to fight given it's my actual name.

I always just assumed you split your time between writing and running a Volkswagen dealership in Southampton. http://www.petercoopergroup.co.uk/

Are you aware that I also own an entire village in NYC? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_Town%E2%80%94Peter_C...