6 ms·
The outcome and illegal actions here are reprehensible, but from what I'm reading, all this could have been avoided with better ICANN and U.S. Patent and Tradem
by basseq 7y ago
The outcome and illegal actions here are reprehensible, but from what I'm reading, all this could have been avoided with better ICANN and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office practices.
Specifically, this:
1. Rossi Adams founded State Snaps.
2. "The slogan 'Do It For State' sprouted organically, and soon became synonymous with the State Snaps brand — a catch-all when referring to [State Snaps]..."
3. Ethan Deyo "had side hustles as domain brokers: buying up URLs and flipping them for a profit".
4. Deyo buys DoItForState.com specifically to capitalize off State Snaps.
5. Deyo starts using #DoItForState and trademarks the name.
6. Adams gets mad.
So Deyo is a total parasite. IANAL and all that, but Adams had should have been able to show prior use / common law trademark protection. USPTO should have denied Deyo's trademark application—or Adams should have been able to get it revoked—then this should have been a pretty clear-cut ICANN trademark dispute ruled in favor of Adams.
All that's to say that I understand Adams' frustration. Though I haven't seen any evidence that Adams tried to protect his trademark legally.
Then, of course, you get into the threats and the gun violence and the ridiculous, immature, illegal stuff.