have i unwittingly become a squatter?

[Ciqala]

in march of this year i registered a domain containing the name of a rap group of which a member has become one of the biggest stars of the moment. anyways its been sitting pretty much dormant being re-directed to various sites but never really monitored too much.

fast forward to a few days ago and i noticed i was getting a few hundred hits per day to this one domain from direct type-ins. so in order to capitalise on the traffic i knocked together a basic site (no content added as yet) and am nearly ready to start promoting it (add it to google etc).

well this morning i was talking to my friend about it and he tells me that they (the group) have just launched their own site and he gives me the url. well it turns out i seem to have gotten their first choice of domain and they have opted to add a hypen to the domain and use that as their main url instead.

well to start with this is a little worrying as i am not sure where i stand legally on this issue. I registered my domain in march and they have only just registered theirs in september. the domain is <band-name><keyword>.com not just the band name. does this mean i am on more stable ground than if it was just their trademark with .com on the end?

also as i am about to start adding content are there some simple guidelines to follow to ensure i do not open myself up to litigation?

and finally before i had found this information out it had been my intention to build up the domain and sell it. would this be advisable. my email address and correct contact details are on my who-is records so they have had ample time to contact me about the domain so i assume they are not overly bothered by this.

for now i'll enjoy the free traffic i'm getting but i would appreciate any guidance on the best way to progress with this name.

gregr may know the domain i refer to as it was him who grabbed the plural first without even knowing what the domain meant and left me to grab the singular... but as you're getting on a bit now greg i'm not sure if your memory is all it used to be.

thanks in advance
Ciq

 

[bidawinner]

The only thing I know for certain ..is DONT build anything at that resemebles, or mentions the band, no Band T-Shirts, No Band CD's etc..

The use of the domains should be as far ..

Good Luck Cig

 

[Fearless]

I thought I passed on the name because I didn't know what it was. I remember it had high overture #s.

 

[DNQuest.com]

You can setup a fan site. Make sure you state it is an unofficial site and do not make money off of it. (Ie- sell merchandise, newsletters etc). Add liks to thier officdial site and maybe a bulliten board for fellow fans to talk about the group. Do not offer teh stie for sale or offer it to the group in a cold call. If they contact you, tell them you are not interested in seeling the domain. They will contact you again, maybe more forceably. Nut as long as you follow the guidelines I mentioned, you are relatively safe from a lawsuit. Make them do an offer first, then counter. Make sure you tell them all your expenses and time involved with teh project and that you are a true fan and don't want to give it up.. You will get some $$$ for it and it will be cheaper than them going to court or WIPO.

I am not a lawyer, but I have defended several fansites I have, and still have