Someone registered Twitter account with our company's name!

[JMorton6]

We're in the process of launching a new company with a unique name (not an existing word), and it just so happened that someone, by complete coincidence, already registered that username on Twitter for a personal account in 2009. It's just a teenage girl and she only tweeted a couple of times years ago and hasn't used the service since 2009. We tried tweeting her but didn't get a response. What do we do - can we send Twitter a copy of our business registration and ask for the username? How long will that process take, and will we need a trademark first? Thanks ATOT!

 

[BoomerD]

Why do you think you have more of a right to the name than the first person does?

If "she" registered it in 2009, and it was before your company was formed, "she" has every right to the name...unless you can persuade her to sell it.

 

[JMorton6]

Why do you think you have more of a right to the name than the first person does?

If "she" registered it in 2009, and it was before your company was formed, "she" has every right to the name...unless you can persuade her to sell it.

We actually tried to contact her about that, but received no response.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

 

[HAL9000]

We actually tried to contact her about that, but received no response.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

You are mistaken

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

What's the Twitter name, maybe we can help contact the girl if we have some details? Not a big deal anyway, just use a variation. Lots of companies don't have their actual company names.

 

[BoomerD]

We actually tried to contact her about that, but received no response.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

Nope. If the other person has it first...and it's not infringing on a previously registered business name or trademark, I believe the only way you can get it is to buy it...IF they opt to sell.

 

[JEDIYoda]

What do we do - can we send Twitter a copy of our business registration and ask for the username? How long will that process take, and will we need a trademark first? Thanks ATOT!

You are SOL@@@!!!!!!

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

No! I cant even fathom why you would think this.

 

[BoomerD]

A more appropriate way to look at this is that you're naming your company after someone else's Twitter account.

 

[Dangerer]

nissan.com

 

[BoomerD]

nissan.com

Yep...that's the first thing that came to mind...

http://www.nissan.com/Digest/The_Story.php

 

[Jeff7]

You are mistaken

Nah - a business has a right to just about anything they want, assuming they have enough money.

 

[dawp]

We actually tried to contact her about that, but received no response.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

as far as I know the only way to get the courts to hand over the tweeter feed is to show that the owner of it registered it to squat on it to get money from the target. Being she registered it prior to the company's existence that will be impossible.

 

[dwell]

just hack her account. try combinations of "beiber" for a password.

 

[gorcorps]

We actually tried to contact her about that, but received no response.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

Uh... no? Even a business that's established can't fight for a name if they didn't get there first. As long as the name isn't be used to mislead people to believe that it IS owned by that company, then it goes first come first served.

I'm very confused why you'd think a company that was created AFTER the fact would have any sort of say in the matter?

 

[arcenite]

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

The Owl says you are a naive narcissist who thinks that just because you are an entrepreneur by none but the most basic definitions that all of a sudden you have more rights than everyone else. You don't even have the company name trademarked and think that for some reason it is your right to take its use from someone else. Furthermore, if the name is already taken by a 'teenage girl' you may want to consider using a name that is less prepubescent.

hooooo

 

[LookBehindYou]

The Owl says you are a naive narcissist who thinks that just because you are an entrepreneur by none but the most basic definitions that all of a sudden you have more rights than everyone else. You don't even have the company name trademarked and think that for some reason it is your right to take its use from someone else. Furthermore, if the name is already taken by a 'teenage girl' you may want to consider using a name that is less prepubescent.

hooooo

Looks like the Owl has spoken some legit words of wisdom.

 

[gorcorps]

The Owl says you are a naive narcissist who thinks that just because you are an entrepreneur by none but the most basic definitions that all of a sudden you have more rights than everyone else. You don't even have the company name trademarked and think that for some reason it is your right to take its use from someone else. Furthermore, if the name is already taken by a 'teenage girl' you may want to consider using a name that is less prepubescent.
hooooo

This

If your company name was so unique it wouldn't have been thought up by a teenage girl.

 

[MotF Bane]

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

Uh, no.

 

[Fritzo]

Had same thing happen to us on our Youtube channel. It's just easier to make a catchy alternate name. In our case what happened is the person holding our channel name got so many false hits and complaints he actually gave the name back to us.

 

[edro]

You are probably thinking about domain squaters who register domain names after a corporation has already trademarked a name.
Twitter accounts are a completely different story.

 

[rudder]

nissan.com

In this case however.. the guy's name is Nissan.

 

[Zargon]

LOL. I know a guy who literally made millions in the laste 80's early 90's by being smart enough to register domain names of large companys before they got a web presence.

good luck with this. he 'retired' at 30 thanks to pepsi among other domain names

 

[Capt Caveman]

We actually tried to contact her about that, but received no response.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

You really shouldn't be running a company based on the above. Is this the group-on copycat business also?

 

[ultimatebob]

We actually tried to contact her about that, but received no response.

Also, I'm pretty sure that if you register a name that's taken by a business (even if the business is newer), they have some sort of a right to it?

If that's the case, I'm going to create a business called "Aplusk, Inc." and demand that Twitter give me Aston Kutcher's Twitter account with his 2 million followers immediately!