Trademark sites

4Media · Mar 30, 2009

I've built a few minisites recently, sporting events, which have turned out to be registered trademarks, an error on my part. Now these sites are indexed and some are on page 1 of Google and getting some decent traffic and Adsense revenues.

My question is should I remove the sites to avoid getting a legal challenge and if I were to get a legal challenge am I likely to get a warning beforehand or could I face immediate legal action from the owners of the TM?

Just not sure what to do.

denchomsky · Mar 30, 2009

If they mention the word Olympic(s) then yes remove them right away.

grantw · Mar 30, 2009

4Media said:
could I face immediate legal action from the owners of the TM?

You could face immediate action, not all companies will give you a warning first.

Grant

mally · Mar 30, 2009

Are the domains a registered trademark or generic? That would make a big difference!

sunnystudley · Mar 31, 2009

Trademarks are a complicated issue, but its worth noting that not all trademarks cover all fields in all countries. Check on the web (the www address is in another thread) to see if the TMs you are concerned about actually apply in the relevant field within the UK. The other potential issue of concern here is you may be 'passing off', in other words regardless of whether you are infringing TMs, visitors may be confused into thinking you are anything to do with the other organisation - if this is the case this could also land you in hot water. Hope this helps.