WooHoo! Slapped with a Lawsuit

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Blackstealth's picture
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WooHoo! Slapped with a Lawsuit

Well, not quite a lawsuit, not yet anyway. Today I got a 23 page cease and desist letter regarding my use of the word 'stealth' in my personal website address. Seriously.

You can read the full details on my website...

This really is a demonstration of the snivelling scheisters that try to make money out of respectable people going about their own business. But, I'm willing to play hardball with these guys and it's their move now. I'm pretty interested to find out what they consider their legal footing to be and how they intend to persue a transatlantic prosecution (been there, done that, got the out-of-court settlement) with someone who has no intention of going to Chicago for a two-bit lawsuit that any judge would throw out in an instant.

Besides, if they take it any further it sets me up for a nice little counter-suit for harassment Smile

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bit**es

sry for the language, but thats just rediculus.

Jon
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FWIL in Bus. Law, they can't

FWIL in Bus. Law, they can't have a case unless they can prove infringement, dilution, or some other form of harm to their mark. Stealth is a very common word, Google gave me results on 2.5 million hits, and half a dozen .coms with stealth in their domain name. I'm wondering if they sent letters to all of them. Furthermore, they have to prove that you took their mark AFTER they began to use it to prove that you are infringing on them. If their use came after yours, you could use htat fact to upset any "prior art" clauses (the patent office uses such a clause). They can't ignore your site in the prior art clause, and THEN go after you when they get the rights to the mark and claim infringement. IANAL, but they have no case.

Jon.

No one should be protected from the effects of his own stupidity. - Anton Szandor LaVey in 1988 (There is a certain irony in this quote... :p)

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HHmmmm...

Can you say BS, I would like to see exactly how they say that your infringing on their rights to the word "Stealth", by saying it?...

(EDIT: I just noticed on the second to the last page of the letter "Leo" sent, he claims ownership not just to "Stealth" but "Sentra" as well. I doubt Nissan Motors of America would allow the name of one of their vehicles to trademarked by someone else)
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As one of my coworkers once s

As one of my coworkers once said regarding society, "if a**holes could fly, this place would be an airport."

Good luck.

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JT! better watch out with you

JT! better watch out with your title, they seem to own Night Stalker as well Wink

this is an interesting thing, let us know how it goes!

CCC

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HAR™ thats crazy! [co

HAR™

thats crazy!

TOM

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Whose next, the United States

Whose next, the United States Air Force?
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Update

Well this whole things still going on and I haven't had a sniff of anything legal from the guy. I'm currently collaborating with the owner of www.yakherder.com (Who owns a number of stealth related domains) to drum up a bit of publicity to what the guy is trying to do to us honest citizens.

And today I found a beauty of a story about the guy... http://www.nbc5.com/news/1587141/detail.html - Try reading that whilst keeping a straight face. A quick trace of the domain names in question shows its the very same guy that's trying to make a quick buck out of me.

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Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defence.

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Sounds like a domain name squ

Sounds like a domain name squatter trying to scam you

Dr. Bob

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Yikes! Too close to home...

Blackstealth, when you posted this, I went to his web site and boy was I surprised when the phone numbers and ZIP Codes appeared close to my home. Channel 5 did a solid by posting the home address...which I pass TWICE A DAY, EVERY DAY on the way to and from work.

While he claims to have won a number of trademark challenges, I found a number of cases on-line that were decided AGAINST his company. I tried to follow the trail to see if appeals were affirmed or reversed, but it looks like many simply ended with the single decision against.

It goes way beyond squatting Dr. Bob. It appears that he has built an entire business model based on trying to extract a licensing fee from anyone using anything remotely resembling intellectual property he believes he owns.

tony b.

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Lawsuit worries

Don't sweat the petty things...and...don't pet the sweaty things! Smile
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no case

now, im no lawyer, butt i don't think this guy has any case. Assuming he is legit which it sounds liek he isn't), he would have to prove that your use of the word 'stelth' is causing him to loose biz.

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