If a domain usurper cannot demonstrate legal intent to own the domain name, it is considered to be a bad faith registry and is considered guilty of domain usurpation. It's clear that Shkreli is trying to stir up the situation, but is what he's doing illegal? According to Shkreli, the answer is no. This isn't illegal, he told me. There's nothing illegal about buying a domain name that has the same name as someone else's name.
He mentioned that he had consulted lawyers before buying the websites, and told me that he had purchased them to test the backend software that his new company is developing. If you choose a domain name that conflicts with one of the millions of commercial names that already exist, you risk losing it. And if you've invested money and effort into marketing your website and then you're forced to give up the domain name, your web-based business is likely to suffer a damaging, if not fatal, blow. It's time to renew your membership and maintain access to free CLE, valuable publications, and more.
Your membership has expired: last chance for uninterrupted access to free CLE and other benefits. Professional valuation services help you set a price according to the value of the search term, keywords, comparable sales and the potential of the domain name. Once you know who the registrant is, you can contact us, directly or through a domain agent, detective agency, or other agent, if you want to remain anonymous and make an offer to buy the domain name. Registrars usually delete the domain registration after notice and a grace period, but there is no uniform policy for managing expired domain names.
You can also go directly to the sites of accredited domain registrars to check online if a particular domain name is available. In fact, there is an entire industry called “domain tasting”, in which companies buy domain names that have recently expired, test their traffic rates and calculate their profitability. Purchase a domain from an online auction site if the domain name is available through its current owner (see the full links in Resources).
