TO want to hunt down and f*** KILL the domain name squatters who have probably cost me a friendship?

[madamez]

WIll spare you all the long tedious story of how it was down to me to get the domain name for my friend's website renewed/transferred to a new host. But basically we have been waiting months for it to come free and some f* domain pirate has bagged it and set up a rubbish spammy site on it, obviously in the hope that we will offer them vast sums of money for the name back. I know there is nothing we can do about these people but it really really pisses me off.

I bet it does piss you off mademez. Sorry but not advice just sympathy.

Mademez - I have always thought your posts were very interesting on here. I thought you were a god on this site so bumping for you.

Are you sure there is nothing you can do about this? If your friend has been trading for a while s/he will have some trademark rights and might be able to get the squatter off. Don't know where you are, but I'd recommend you go and see a trade mark attorney about the issue. Contact ITMA (Institute of Trade Mark Agents) for registered attorneys in you area. Many of them will give new clients an initial interview for free too. IME and FWIW.

Thanks Smamfa, don't know if she wil want to do that as she is not a British national and has a bit of a mistrust of lawyers, but will bear it in mind. We can certainly produce evidence and statements of her using that trading name for at least 8 years.
Mind you right now she is not talking to me .

Well it's not your fault so why is she not talking to you?

Poor you

I sympathise, but is it a porn/sexy site? That's consumerism for you!

(I do sympathise really )

a god no less! Praise indeed!!

MT: no, actually. She's a jewellery designer.

ANd it is sort of my fault for being the middleperson stuck between two fairly intransigent people...

If she does fall out with you over this, she can't have been much a friend in the first place as it wasn't your fault.