“Naked aggression” or genius? .sucks trolls trademark event
.sucks registry Vox Populi has annoyed intellectual property interests by trolling a trademark conference with a .sucks mobile billboard.
As tweeted by corporate registrar Marksmen, which described the move as “naked aggression”, attendees to the International Trademark Association conference in San Diego, California saw this roaming the streets this weekend.
Spotted on the streets of San Diego… naked aggression. #dotsucks #INTA15 pic.twitter.com/bm33UIZWRe
— Marksmen (@MarksmenTweets) May 3, 2015
Vox Pop also has a booth at INTA 2015.
The company says .sucks is an opportunity for brands to engage more effectively with their customers, but most IP interests think it looks more like extortion.
The high annual $2,000+ sunrise fee has a lot to do with that, as does the special “Sunrise Premium” list of trademarks that will always incur similarly high prices.
Update: According to a reader, who submitted this photo, Vox Pop is also giving out free .sucks-branded condoms.
Kevin,
Colorful language aside, the reception to Vox Populi Registry at INTA15 has been quite lively, and in a good way. Our goal, as you rightly say, it to raise awareness during this Sunrise registration period. That closes May 29.
Cheers,
John Berard
The first case of a registrar cybersquatting on domain names. Troll is an understatement.
People who cannot distinguish between words and “naked aggression” are dangerous.
Domain names and websites are words.
“Naked aggression” includes things like using slave labor to make BMW’s and Mercedes during WWII; the more recent use of paramilitary death squads by Coca-Cola to to murder, torture, kidnap and threaten union organizers at their Colombian bottling plants; or the murder of Bangladeshi garment worker organizer Aminul Islam on behalf of designer clothing brands.
“Naked” and “aggression” are also words, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much if I were you 😉
Well, of the two of them, I greatly prefer one over the other.
I think “Lack of credible pretext or justification” qualifies here for the “INTA sucks” phrase.