Here is my hypothetical. Can I register a domain and use it to sell a book titled the “Truth About McDonalds” or “Behind the Big Mac”?
What are my limitations for selling something and using another company’s trademarked brand in titles and statements?
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"What Are The Limitations Of Using Another Brand In A Book Title Or Domain Name?" was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 8:29 am.
One Response to “What Are The Limitations Of Using Another Brand In A Book Title Or Domain Name?”
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Many domain names use a title such as http://www.IHateXXX.com. For the most part, you don’t have any big problems with this. However, if the XXX company decides to pursue you, their lawyers could make it very expensive for you to defend yourself.
Using a brand name in a book title can get sticky. In a recent case, a book on the Hershey firm resulted in the publisher having to spend a lot of money to defend their right to publish the book. The problem was the dust jacket’s use of the Hershey chocolate bar wrapper and logo on the cover.
There is not space here to give you a detailed answer, but the big thing to remember is that the big companies have more money than you do, and their lawyers can make your life miserable.
Best answer is: tread lightly. And be prepared to hire a lawyer to keep you out of trouble.
Good luck.