Twitter Hands @NFLLockout Handle Over To NFL Union, Despite No Trademark

from the disputes-in-140-characters dept

Thu, Oct 21st 2010 4:19pm — Mike Masnick

Nearly two years ago, we wrote about the pending issue of Twitter squatting, with various people taking over the trademarked names of well-known companies on Twitter -- and suggesting that Twitter needed a clear policy in handling such disputes. To date, however, Twitter basically seems to more or less handle these claims on a somewhat arbitrary basis.

Case in point, Elan Arbitsman points us to the news that Twitter simply handed over the username @NFLLockout to the NFL Players Association. Some other folks had registered the name and used it to discuss a possible NFL lockout. After they had done so, the NFLPA had registered the domain name NFLLockout.com, and then sought to get the Twitter handle from the guys. They offered to give them some stuff (apparently a life-sized poster or something). When the guys turned this down, the NFLPA went to Twitter, and Twitter just handed them the username. Even worse, Twitter implied that one of the reasons they did so was because the guys tried to "sell" the username -- though they say they didn't try to sell it, they just listened to offers from the NFLPA.

As the article notes, the NFLPA doesn't own either NFL or "Lockout," so it's not entirely clear how they have a legitimate claim on the user account. I can see why the NFLPA would want the username, but it seems a bit weak that Twitter just handed it over (and scolded the original users in the process).

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: disputs, nfl, nfl lockout, trademark, twitter
Companies: nfl, twitter

11 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Ron Rezendes (profile), 21 Oct 2010 @ 4:56pm

Spineless...
Just one more reason for me to stay out of the Twitterverse!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 21 Oct 2010 @ 5:16pm

"I can see why the NFLPA would want the username..."

I'm not even clear on that. Are they not going to post lockout info to their normal Twitter feed?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 21 Oct 2010 @ 8:00pm

Competition
Sounds like a good reason to use a different, but similar service to me!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Pixelation, 21 Oct 2010 @ 8:43pm

Nice to see that the head twits are pussies.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
yourrealname (profile), 21 Oct 2010 @ 9:55pm

What a bunch of dicks. I remember when MySpace did something similar to a band named Bones when a new TV show came out on Fox with the same name. For companies based in social media, you'd think they'd care a bit more about the people using their services instead of just rolling over at the whim of any union that comes along.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Alatar, 22 Oct 2010 @ 2:15am

AC, wanna try competition?
Try identi.ca, heard good things about them
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Atkray (profile), 22 Oct 2010 @ 7:23am

Mike is to blame on this one.
All the positive things he has been saying about Twitter lately..........Something like this was bound to happen.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
MrBeck (profile), 22 Oct 2010 @ 8:31am

Twatter
Anybody registered the above name? Seems appropriate as a alternative for Twitter
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Stephen, 22 Oct 2010 @ 9:56am

least of their worries
the nfl is willing to kill their league and they're worried about a twitterfeed? tells you all you need to know about how blinkered they are.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
helenth01 (profile), 22 Oct 2010 @ 8:25pm

rply
The initiative taken for the concern is very serious and need an attention of every one. This is the concern which exists in the society and needs to be eliminated from the society as soon as possible. ====================== Solicitors
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
gore windsstopper, 25 Oct 2010 @ 2:26am

The north face jackets, north face backpacks and north face gloves are mountain climbing and hiking lovers’ indispensible professional outdoor gear, which will help you against the bad weather. Northface2u.com is an approved north face store, supplying discount north face equipment, comes to replenish your outdoor gear.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]