Dell joins domain name hall of shame (again)

[Steve]

Big companies don't like it when you setup a website with their name, a likeness of their name, or part of their name in your URL. That's why Dell are pestering the owner of dellwebsites.com. The Register gives us the lowdown:

The theory runs that as soon as someone sees or hears of www.dellwebsites.com, they immediately think "oh that lovely company that sells cheap but well-built PCs has got into web design". They are then overwhelmed with revulsion when they find out it's nothing to do with Dell the PC maker.

Yes, incredible as it may seem, the name "Dell" did exist before 1984. You may think this was obvious since the company is named after founder Michael Dell. If nothing else, his parents would have used the name before him. Does Michael not realise that other families may also the same surname? He probably does, but tough-arse businessman that he is, he's not afraid to screw over his own kin.

[The article]

Thoughts?

[starbuck]

big companies will never be happy until they own every letter in their name so no-one else can use them or have an international law passed stating only large companies are allowed websites. It is getting that stupid.

I agree with what's said in the article, an individual has no easy recourse when big companies make threats over something they have no legal right to yet claim to have. A group is needed that people can go to when they get this type of harassment. Companies have to stop making idle threats just to get what they want.

[Lee @ SCAN]

This is just another case of David vs Goliath again. Companies like Dell and people like this should notice that actions against random domains like this actally give them bad publicity and make people frown upon them.

soooo who's next on their target list ?

A quickie on google threw up the following links with dell in their domain name.
http://www.delloro.com/
http://www.scottodell.com
www.dellarte.com

I wonder how long it will take before they take the rest of these to court :/