About Trademark, Is this alright?

[hiboy]

I am thinking of creating a blog (school stuff) - unofficial school fan club.
my school is using country extension, .net is available ,is it ok if i use it? the title i will write unofficial school website
Are school names trademark? Any thing I should do to protect myself against legal issue?
I already bought the name, what should i do if it's not alright?

 

[Izzma]

Public schools, high schools and most college names probably aren't trademarked. Wouldn't surprise me if some universities have trademarked their name as they run business just like any company would.

My advice would be to see if the name in question is trademarked using Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) (USA)

If no results exist, your in the clear.

 

[hiboy]

Thank you for your reply, That is Usa , does it include worldwide?
Is checking there sufficient? do i have to check trademark from my local country?

 

[Izzma]

Thank you for your reply, That is Usa , does it include worldwide?
Is checking there sufficient? do i have to check trademark from my local country?

Yes, that is for USA only. Most business online is run through the United States hence why the I used the USPTO as an example. This doesn't include worldwide and would only apply if you were doing business in the USA

To be safe you should check for the trademark in your own country. Type "Intellectual Property Office" or "Intellectual Property [Country Name]" in Google or whatever search engine. See if that leads you to your countries I.P. Office website

Best of luck in the launch of your website OP!

 

[hiboy]

hi, thank you so much for your reply

 

[hiboy]

searching at USPTO, i didnt see much school being registered.

Let say what if I received a email from the school?
I have to give in the domain?
is there anything i have to do or i can protect myself? Like put a remark ,is it sufficient?

 

[Izzma]

I have to give in the domain?

No, the worst thing that can happen is having to shutdown your website. You own the domain and have full rights to it.

is there anything i have to do or i can protect myself? Like put a remark ,is it sufficient?

You can add a disclaimer on the footer of your website saying something like this

"This website is in no way affiliated with, authorized, maintained, sponsored or endorsed by [INSERT SCHOOL NAME HERE] or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries. This is an independent, unofficial site. All information on this site is unofficial and subject to change without notice."

In all seriousness, sounds like you have nothing to worry about. Just make sure you have some form of contact on your website such as [email protected] Now go launch your website.

 

[dugu1]

Depends on your country regulations. If you live in EU, you may take a look at Eu trademak, which costs 900EUR