This story is absolutely brilliant. While most of us can only see as far ahead as Modern Warfare 2, a gaming community with the dual gifts of foresight and shamelessness have seized a sneaky opportunity, deciding to register the domain name modernwarfare4.com with plans to blackmail Infinity Ward and get free copies of the game when it presumably comes out in 2013.
Visiting the Web site provides the following message for those who desire the domain name:
Hello!
If you are reading this, you may well be the web administrator for Infinity Ward.
If you are, there is a chance that you may well require this domain. Don't worry, you can have it - in exchange for a little 'good will gesture' for the little gaming community that owns this domain and has been playing your games for years.
What we'd like is a copy of the game that this domain would be used for, - one copy for each and every member of our gaming community.
If you wish to discuss this further, drop me an email - welovecod@ziip.co.uk or goto www.ziip.co.uk and leave a message to Jester.
Many Regards :)
James
Apparently, the gaming community in question has sixty-two members, so that's quite a few copies of
Modern Warfare 4. Despite the absolute gall, you have to admire the devious nature of the plan, not to mention the long-term dedication this requires. If we only get a
Modern Warfare once every two years, this is going to be quite a lengthy campaign. I want to hate these people ... but I can't stop myself respecting them.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
12:00 PM on 07.29.2009
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Also, I want to copy this, only for l4d4, if only to confuse the shit out of people with the URL
How about infinityward.com/modernwarfare? Nobody thought they could just do that?
Isn't Modern Warfare trademarked anyways?
You can't do that because infinityward.com is the root domain for Infinity Ward (they own it). It's kinda like registering destructoid.com/something-or-other for one's own nefarious intentions.
If it does work, you would have struck gold. My professor registered a domain name that has something to do with climate change. Dunno if he sold it, but the last offer was $1000.
On another note, some lucky dude who registered "sex.com" (probably way back during the boom of dial up in the mid-late 90's) became $14,000,0000 richer after selling the domain. Proof that sex (quite literally) sells.
I'm sure you do guys... hurr
Also, this is great. If I were Activision, I'd be all like "YEAH! Sure, have 2!"
The only way these clowns get anything from Infinity Ward is if Infinity Ward feels extra nice and wants to hook these guys up for being ballsy. Otherwise, these guys have no legal ground to stand on to hold the domain name even though they may currently own it.
Do you think these are the first guys to have thought of this? This happens all the time and it never works when going against a big company.
I had a professor who, at the very early ages of the internet, reserved the domain names for McDonalds, Gatorade, Target, and a few other high-profile company names or products.
He first asked for a certain amount of money. They said no. He kept lowering his price. They said no. He finally got to the begging stage and was even willing to exchange the domain name for sample products.
He didn't get a damn thing. After some legal motions, they got their domain names and he got absolutely nothing.
Morale to the story: You can reserve domain names and own them...but if you buy a domain name of an existing product or company (that is popular enough to be able to reasonably assume that the person knew about the product/company) or of a product that is obvious enough that it will eventually exist (e.g. Modern Warfare 4) then you will not legally be able to keep the domain name. So no...don't bother reserving the Halo 12 domain name.
Infinity Ward will get their domain name back and these guys will get nothing...unless Infinity Ward just wants to be nice.
I hope infinity ward pays em.
If you think you have a good idea...someone else has probably already thought of it...
...and this one failed for a reason.
gg. try again, clowns.
just like they did with mag
.... wait who the fuck is jim sterling
These guys are not clever. They are the 992,923,533,123,421 person to have thought of this.
@Kiranio
It's not embarrassing because Infinity Ward and Activision know that they can just get the domain name back whenever they want if they decide that want to make a MW4 without paying or giving these guys a single thing. These companies are smarter about these types of things than you guys think.
These clowns should be embarrassed for thinking they were the first ones to come up with this idea and not doing research to realize that it wouldn't work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersquatting
"Cybersquatting (also known as domain squatting), according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. "
If only they stated: "We're holding this domain in protest of the MW2 price hike", people would be ALL about them.
"As I have recieved emails calling me a blackmailer, we have decided to wear balaclavas and make some real demands.."
Wonder what those could be?
From the Lanham Act, which is a part of US Trademark Law: (15 U.S.C. § 1125(d)): Cyberpiracy prevention: Cybersquatting (domain squatting) -- bad faith intent to profit from a mark, including a personal name which is protected as a mark under the Act and “registers, traffics in, or uses a domain name” that is a distinctive or famous mark and that is identical or confusingly similar.
Did they seriously think they were the first to try this? What a bunch of morons...
What a bunch of retards :))
I can't believe that out of gaming community of 62 individuals nobody ever heard of cybersquatting, or at least figure out by themselves that this might be wrong (hint: blackmail) :D
They must be 12 year olds or idiots, or both.
MW4 is and will always be known as Mechwarrior 4, not some silly run of the mill fps generic thrash. Oh and it's bad behavior to try to earn on others names.
Don't worry, you can have it - in exchange for a little 'good will gesture' for the little gaming community that owns this domain and has been playing your games for years.
no blackmail there.. a goodwill gesture
i see you are easily swayed by our clown pic, as you keep mentioning it.
@ ghost. correct we are not. we are a fun gaming community. emphasis on the fun part. you may not get our humour..
comes out
apply, right?