Kik has won a bid to gain control of nine different domains that were trading on the messaging service’s popularity to deliver (and profit from) adult content.
An arbitrator ruled that the company, whose app is a favorite of adult entertainers wanting to monetize direct contact with fans, was being infringed upon, according to XBiz. As a result, Adult-Kik.com, AdultKik.com, AdultKik.info, KikBlackbook.com, KikChatroom.com, Kik-Flyrts.com, KikHookups.com, KikOffers.com and Kiksters.com were ordered transferred to the company.
Those sites were previously offering explicit content and chat services, or redirecting to others that did. Obviously, as the domains all contain the company’s name, it wanted to put a stop to that.
According to XBiz, the cybersquatter behind the registrations didn’t formally respond to the trademark claims, and obviously had no chance of defending against them.
It’s a practice that’s tantamount to whack-a-mole for any successful service – a user pool of hundreds of millions of people will always tempt third-party’s to try and cash in on that name.
Recently, Coachella was awarded control of CoachellaCams.com, a live cam site that had been profiting off the popularity of the music festival.
