Hey there! What's happening with your domain sounds a lot like what's called 'Cybersquatting', because it looks like the only buyer who'd be interested is Microsoft, but honestly, they're not going to buy it from you. Instead, they've got a whole legal team ready to handle these situations. Trying to sell this domain could lead to trouble, with something called an UDRP, which might end up in Microsoft getting the domain from you for free since they own the trademark. It's always best to steer clear of domains that have any kind of trademarked or branded names in them.
The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a process established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the resolution of disputes regarding the registration of internet domain names. Microsoft, like many other large corporations, has been involved in numerous UDRP cases to protect its trademarks and intellectual property online. Here are some notable UDRP cases that Microsoft has won:
1. **Microsoft Corporation v. Microsof.com aka Tarek Ahmed** (Case No. D2000-0548) - In this early and notable case, Microsoft successfully won the rights to the domain 'Microsof.com', which was considered to be confusingly similar to its trademark 'Microsoft'.
2. **Microsoft Corporation v. StepWeb** (Case No. D2000-1500) - Microsoft won this case involving the 'microsoft2000.com' domain name, which was deemed to be registered in bad faith to exploit the Microsoft trademark.
3. **Microsoft Corporation v. Whois Privacy Protection Service / Lee Xongwei** (Case No. D2013-0298) - Microsoft won the dispute over the 'microsoftinternetexplorer.com' domain, which was found to have been registered in bad faith.
4. **Microsoft Corporation v. S.L., Mediablue** (Case No. D2013-0938) - This case involved the 'wwwmicrosoft.com' domain. The panel ruled in favor of Microsoft, ordering the domain to be transferred to them due to the bad faith registration aiming to capitalize on typographical errors by users intending to visit Microsoft's official website.
5. **Microsoft Corporation v. Private Whois wwwoffice.com** (Case No. D2011-1703) - Microsoft successfully reclaimed 'wwwoffice.com' from a registrant who had used it in bad faith, essentially attempting to divert users looking for Microsoft Office products.
6. **Microsoft Corporation v. Alvaro Collazo** (Case No. D2012-1522) - Microsoft won the dispute over 'microsoftstore.com.mx', which was also found to have been registered in bad faith.
These cases illustrate Microsoft's ongoing efforts to protect its brand against cybersquatters or those who register domain names in an attempt to profit from Microsoft's well-known trademarks. The cases listed above span several years, highlighting Microsoft's continual vigilance over its intellectual property in the digital domain space.
Now, as for what you could do next, I've got an idea. How about redirecting your domain to the Microsoft apps store website
https://apps.microsoft.com? Then, you could send a friendly email to Microsoft's domains team at
[email protected], just letting them know that you ended up with this domain after an auction on Godaddy's marketplace, but as soon as you realized it wasn't a great move, you pointed the domain to their store. You might also mention that you'd like to transfer the domain over to them. This could help smooth things over and may even prevent them from going down the UDRP path against you.
If reaching out to them isn't your cup of tea, another option could be to ask your domain registrar if they can delete the domain for you. Since the domain was registered in February, timing might be tight. Some registrars offer a grace period for deleting domains and getting a refund, but many now charge for this service. Even if GoDaddy doesn't offer a grace delete, or if the window for it has passed, it's worth asking if they can still simply delete it to help you avoid any potential headaches.
Best of luck with everything! And moving forward, try to stay away from domain names that include any trademarks, products, or company names to save yourself from these kinds of situations.
