It’s time to renew our hopes that a long-standing wish from 1985 will become a reality: Marty McFly’s hoverboard from the movie Back to the Future II.
October 21, 2015 is arriving shortly, and a car manufacturer claims they have created a real, rideable hoverboard.
Auto maker Lexus posted a teaser video showing how “There is no such thing as impossible“, and demonstrating the magnetic hoverboard.
Almost.
The teaser video stops short of showing a guy who got off his regular skateboard, setting foot onto the Lexus hoverboard.
Lexus hoverboard : The Slide.
The video uses the hashtag #LexusHover across social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
But who owns LexusHover.com ?
Unfortunately, not Lexus, according to the WHOIS per DomainTools. The domain is listed for sale by its registrant, who obviously blatantly infringes on the “Lexus” trademark. The domain was registered today.
Meanwhile, both LexusHoverboard.com and LexusSlide.com are registered to Chi & Partners, a creative agency in the UK; the Lexus hoverboard is referred to as “Slide” in the Lexus video.
As both these domains were registered on June 1st, 2015, three weeks before the public release of the Lexus Hover video, we are almost certain they are controlled by Lexus.
So tough luck for the registrant of LexusHover.com, who might hear from Lexus in a UDRP instead.
When I first heard about this I figured an unsuspecting (or not all that bright) domain investor newbie or someone looking to make a quick buck would register it hoping to get that big payday. Many new and/or unknowledgeable domain investors don’t know or realize what the Trademark laws are as far as domains.
I have a feeling that legal issues are coming soon!
Please add to the article that the teaser video was added to YouTube on the channel Lexus UK, which is a verified channel and is a sub-division of Lexus UK. On the official Lexus blog there is an entry announcing the Slide.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bNqicsGv7w
http://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-hoverboard-amazing-in-motion/