Good Twitter Handles That Are Squatted

accelerator · Mar 7, 2015

Has anyone else noticed how many good Twitter handles are "squatted"?

Has anyone ever tried to obtain a "squatted" Twitter handle?

philiporchard · Mar 7, 2015

How do you classify squatted?

In the same way a domain is bought and not used or something different?

Retired_Member38 · Mar 7, 2015

We got a decent 1 word one turned over to us by Twitter, it was actually really easy. We just showed them that we had bought the corresponding .co.uk domain and they gave us it.

It had been legitimately registered by someone else, but very rarely used. And not updated at all in a couple of years.

philiporchard · Mar 7, 2015

Monkey said:
We got a decent 1 word one turned over to us by Twitter, it was actually really easy. We just showed them that we had bought the corresponding .co.uk domain and they gave us it.

It had been legitimately registered by someone else, but very rarely used. And not updated at all in a couple of years.

Nice one!

Murray · Mar 7, 2015

accelerator said:
Has anyone ever tried to obtain a "squatted" Twitter handle?

It's like anything, offer enough money they will probably let you have it.

No idea about going through the official twitter complaining route though.

mat · Mar 7, 2015

Monkey said:
We got a decent 1 word one turned over to us by Twitter, it was actually really easy. We just showed them that we had bought the corresponding .co.uk domain and they gave us it.

It had been legitimately registered by someone else, but very rarely used. And not updated at all in a couple of years.

I was doing the same but does not seem to work anymore unless you have a trademark to go along with it.

accelerator · Mar 7, 2015

philiporchard said:
How do you classify squatted?

Either an actual brand that should rightfully belong to someone else, or just a good term (that we might all recognise as a valuable marketing term).

I do see a lot of these on Twitter.

Rgds

accelerator · Mar 7, 2015

Sometimes it looks like brands just choose unusual Twitter handles, which I think is a mistake.

Rgds

spiderspider · Mar 7, 2015

Twitter policy:
https://support.twitter.com/articles/15362-inactive-account-policy

However, it does say you need the TM to get the name. But, getting the right person at Twitter can make the difference between getting a name and not.

As for trying to contact people, if they have email notifications switched off, or no access to the email they signed up with, you have no chance.

Retired_Member38 · Mar 7, 2015

Murray said:
It's like anything, offer enough money they will probably let you have it.

No idea about going through the official twitter complaining route though.

The danger is you tell them you want an old abandoned handle they have, and they are clued up enough to now start using it themselves, to protect again Twitter just taking it from them.

mat said:
I was doing the same but does not seem to work anymore unless you have a trademark to go along with it.

This wasn't that long ago - maybe 6 months. We definitely had no trademark, and even if we had one it would have been category specific and could have been legitimately used as a brand name by 100's of companies. Or as a legit nickname by 1000's of people. Think @monkey or similar

noonoo1 · Mar 7, 2015

I must say i do have quite a few registered, i do tweet on them every couple of months.

BG · Mar 7, 2015

Twitter Handles

I successfully got "@iBuddy" which another person was using. I simply went down the trademark route which meant i had to provide our registered trademark number and my passport. Within 72hrs the name was transferred to us, simples

And with "@RockFM" i provided various documentation and was asked to communicate via the rockfm.com email address etc (took around 2wks)

So far I've claimed 7 handles and processing 2 as we speak...

Barry

Retired_Member38 · Mar 7, 2015

The process certainly seems flawed. As just because you have a trademark for iBuddy, or the domain name for RockFM.com, it doesn't mean anyone else couldn't have had a legitimate use for the handle too.

Likewise in my case, they just basically gave it up with me having no real claim to it at all. I suppose its their system and they'll do what they like with it but I'd be annoyed to be on the receiving end of something like that.

accelerator · Mar 8, 2015

It sounds like Twitter are quite business friendly.

I see what you're saying about class of Trademark though.

BG · Mar 8, 2015

accelerator said:
It sounds like Twitter are quite business friendly.

I see what you're saying about class of Trademark though.

I'm personally a fan of their T&C's, plus what's the point of having a trademark if you can't enforce it...

In regards to the @RockFM handle the previous owner had not logged in for over 2yrs which means twitter "at their own discretion" can suspend, delete or transfer the handle to a new user if they can show rights. They don't just hand over handles... they go through a series of questions first which leads to numerous emails back and forth (all fun and games)

-BG

philiporchard · Mar 8, 2015

Nice one Barry. Not just a pretty face are you

ian · Mar 8, 2015

Nice, just made a claim for a handle that has been dormant since 2008 so I'm hoping I have a good chance. I own the .co.uk and .uk, which doesn't give me rights, but obviously wouldn't try claiming from an active handle.

ian · Mar 17, 2015

Gave this is a shot for a couple of handles where I own the domains, but no joy, seems Twitter have changed policy and won't hand them over, even when inactive or no posts; which is what I expected.

There is however a handle I very much need for a future project, but if the owner isn't impersonating through the very nature of them not using the account, is there any other method in which I can get it? Would registering the name as a ltd company and a trademark do the trick?

Any tips from those that have success with this recently?

anthony · Mar 17, 2015

ian-d said:
...Would registering the name as a ltd company and a trademark do the trick?...

That comes under Reverse Twitter Handle Hijacking!

Retired_Member38 · Mar 17, 2015

ian-d said:
Gave this is a shot for a couple of handles where I own the domains, but no joy, seems Twitter have changed policy and won't hand them over, even when inactive or no posts; which is what I expected.

There is however a handle I very much need for a future project, but if the owner isn't impersonating through the very nature of them not using the account, is there any other method in which I can get it? Would registering the name as a ltd company and a trademark do the trick?

Any tips from those that have success with this recently?

So build the future project, but don't launch it. Contact twitter and tell them you're ready to go and you need that twitter handle.

We done it the other way around (built it first, then asked for the handle) but imo you're taking a risk there. As if the handle owner realises he may just start using it to avoid it being taken from him (with the intention of asking you for £££ later)

Twitter were quite reasonable with us - a 'real' business built on that domain, and the twitter handle very obviously abandoned. They gave us it with no problems at all.