GM wins rights to web site about Chevy Volt.
Last year I wrote about GM-Volt.com, a site that was getting over 75,000 visits a month. I warned that using trademarks in your domain name — even as a fan site — is treacherous ground.
Indeed, GM just won a case brought before the World Intellectual Property Forum for the domain name ChevyVolt.org.
GM said that the site looked like a fan site on the surface, but as you dug deeper it clearly was not:
…the website is not limited to discussions and/or forums about the Chevy Volt. If a visitor to the website clicked on the heading/category “Electric Carsâ€, the visitor would have access to articles and information regarding the “Nissan Leafâ€, “Tesla Roadster†and the “Toyota Rav4EVâ€. One would not expect to see a competitor’s products discussed in a favorable light on a “fan siteâ€, the purpose of which is to promote one particular product and/or brand. Operating a fan site has not generally been regarded as a “legitimate interest†under the Policy.
Most of the content on GM-Volt.com is related to the Volt electric car. But some of the forum posts are not. And the ads on the site are for competitors. I’m currently seeing Adsense ads for “Ford Electric Cars” and Tesla.
It’s likely that GM will leave GM-Volt.com alone. Still, I recommend against using a trademark in your domain name, even for a fan site.
VoltFanSite says
I run http://voltfansite.com and not been contacted by GM. We are fouced only on the Volt and I created the site becuase gm-volt.com is more about making money with ads the promoting the car. I have been asked not to post links on the site leading users away. I own a Volt and have be doing a interview or a event about every two weeks.