De website van datepad (relatiebemiddeling) heeft sinds 2008 iets aan content dat refereert aan datepad als relatiebemiddelings website. (datepad web versie in 2008) De url was echter al geregistreerd in 2004 door een domeinnamenboer (http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://datepad.com).
Een trademark zoekopdracht (http://www.uspto.gov/) resulteert in de volgende gegevens (Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)):
| Word Mark |
DATEPAD |
| Goods and Services |
IC 045. US 100 101. G & S: On-line dating services |
| Standard Characters |
Claimed |
| Serial Number |
77527414 |
| Filing Date |
July 21, 2008 |
| Published for Opposition |
May 19, 2009 |
| Owner |
(APPLICANT) Datepad Inc. CORPORATION CANADA 13-4 Alliance Blvd., Suite 437 Barrie, Ontario CANADA L4M7G3 |
| Priority Date |
February 19, 2008 |
| Type of Mark |
SERVICE MARK |
| Register |
PRINCIPAL |
| Live/Dead Indicator |
LIVE |
Het trademark is aangevraagd in 2008 en toegekend in 2009 (19 mei). Een maandje later stuurt de eigenaar me een mail om een link te verzoeken.
Mijn DatePad bestaat sinds 2001 (zie readme.txt in de allereerste distributie versie). Onze ‘klanten’ zijn verschillend, en de kans op verwarring tussen de twee sites is nagenoeg nihil. Mijn site biedt gratis software aan om een agenda bij te houden. De andere site is bedoeld voor relatiebemiddeling. Derhalve maak ik me niet meer druk. Helemaal niet na het gratis advies via de avvo site.
Verder komt er bij deze hele kwestie natuurlijk ook nog het internationale aspect kijken. Het feit dat zij in de USA zijn gevestigd en ik hier in het verre europa, zal de boel niet vereenvoudigen.
Mijn reply aan Shawn (de ‘President and CEO’ van de andere Datepad):
After evaluating your email and reviewing the search results in Google I have to conclude that there is almost no posibility that your clients or mine will get confused by the search results as it is clearly indicated your datepad is a site about dating, and mine is software for keeping a calendar.
I think adding a link to refer to your dating site will not be necesary, because it is not something the visitors to my website will be interested in.
Hopende dat hiermee de kous af is.
Update:
Ook volgens TheLaw.com hem ik niet veel te duchten, alhoewel dit toch een iets minder profesioneel antwoord is:
First of all, I have no idea if this newly registered site really does own any rights. Second, when you file a trademark, you must make representations of not knowing that there is prior usage. Considering you have been using that name for your software for 8 years and all this person did was use Google to find you, I’d have to say their trademark search was lousy. It would seem to me that if all he wants is a link to their site, they probably don’t have the rights that they say they do. If you challenge their rights and state the above to them… might they be afraid that you can challenge their trademark? I can’t tell you what to do but my feeling is that they aren’t looking for a lawsuit any more than you and they probably know they likely do not have a case. These are just my thoughts.
A lot of years ago (I think I was 6 or 7 years old at the time) I visited agualand again. Agualand is a waterpark on the south of the island. I somehow remember it was a nice park, but it was a lot smaller then I remembered. I think all the attractions were exactly the same as almost 30 years ago. The only thing I did not remember from my previous visit as a little boy were the burning hot stones you needed to walk across to get to the slides. Also the park closes very early. Around 6 o clock the visitors were asked to leave the park.
Our planned vacation time is coming closer and closer and this your we are sticking to Europe. Our plan is to pass by Spain and Holland for a few days each and then on the 30th continue to 
