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Tell HN: LinkedIn says I-dont-have-linkedin.com is infringement

Article news.ycombinator.com

Tell HN: LinkedIn says I-dont-have-linkedin.com is infringement

Some time ago I registered https://i-dont-have-linkedin.com just for fun. If you go on it, there's a text that says "Hi there! I don't have LinkedIn because it's super annoying. Have a grand day ".

Now I got this email from LinkedIn:

To Whom It May Concern:

Tracer is authorized by LinkedIn Corporation (LinkedIn) to act on its behalf to submit notices of intellectual property infringement with respect to LinkedIn's trademarks, copyrights, and domain names. A letter of authority is attached.

LinkedIn owns numerous trademark registrations for its mark LINKEDIN, including but not limited to US:3971643, US:4016685, and US:4190987. LinkedIn has made extensive use of its LINKEDIN mark for the purposes of advertising, promotion, and the sale of goods and services.

LinkedIn owns the domain name linkedin.com and uses it to disseminate information via computer networks. As a result, consumers associate LINKEDIN, when included in a domain name, with LinkedIn's products and services.

Please note that according to LinkedIn Brand Guidelines, the use of the LinkedIn trademark or logo is infringing and for that reason needs to be removed, please check here all the details: https://brand.linkedin.com/business-books-and-media-usage#business-and-branding.

It has come to our attention that a registrant using your company’s registrar services has registered the domain name i-dont-have-linkedin.com. This unauthorized use of the registered LINKEDIN mark dilutes its distinctive qualities and may potentially confuse consumers. We have reached out to the registrant but received no response.

Accordingly, we request that you pass this notice along to the current registrant. The domain registration should be allowed to expire, and the registrant should not sell, offer to sell, or transfer the domain name to a third party.

The above statements are made with a good faith belief that the use of the material identified herein in the manner complained of is not authorized by the intellectual property owner, LinkedIn, its agent, or the law; that the above statements and the information contained in this notification are accurate; and that, under penalty of perjury, Tracer is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive rights that are alleged to be infringed.

I don't have the time or energy to challenge this with a lawyer (since it's just a joke website), but would this really infringe on their trademark? But now I kind of don't want to let them win on principle, haha.

Discussion 11 comments · 4 points · shafyy · 2025-03-14
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