One kind of domain theft that is often left untouched, is the type commenced by business partners, that are expected to be in good terms.
Are you shocked already?
A business partnership or other “joint venture” that goes south, often leads to a sudden departure from law-abiding practices expected among the former partners.
Whoever controls the domain name tied to the venture, has the power to assume full control of the business, often illegitimately.
Such incidents are not at all rare, and we recently came across this conversation on WordPress.com:
“I used to run a WordPress blog with a friend of mine, but we had a falling out recently, and she stole the site from me. It was under my email address and I came up with the domain name, but I just tried to go on and the log in information is changed and she deleted by posts and starting running it with a new girl under the same domain name. […] I was wondering if there is any way to file a complaint so they have to change the domain name or take down the blog entirely?”
While our example showcases the very basic of all agreements based on mutual understanding or an oral agreement, quite often the same issue arises with commercial and well-documented joint ventures.
Somehow, the management of the domain names associated with the venture, is left out or isn’t explicitly mentioned.
To ensure that the domain or domain names linked to a particular joint venture are safe, you will need to document the particulars of its management at the beginning of this business union.
The best place to begin such documentation, is via an attorney or a domainer-friendly law firm that understands trademarks, copyrights, and the importance of domain names as business assets.
Do not allow your business venture to fall apart, if the unthinkable happens!
Note: ESQwire.com is a premium DomainGang sponsor that provides law services related to the ones covered in this article.
