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General => General Discussion and ??? => Topic started by: Shawn (EIP) on July 15, 2011, 04:49:03 PM

Title: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shawn (EIP) on July 15, 2011, 04:49:03 PM: So theres a fellow in FL that has the same business name Endless Ink Printing , claims he had the name first. Refuses to return any emails with proof... What would you do?

http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086 (http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086)
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Frog on July 15, 2011, 05:00:00 PM: Business names are only searched out to the same county in California. I, in fact once had a shipment from Tubelite get misdirected to another Frog Prints about forty miles and two or three counties away. (They coincidentally
though registered, had never placed an order.)

A trademarked name could be a different issue.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Fresh Baked Printing on July 15, 2011, 05:08:18 PM: Quote from: endless ink printing on July 15, 2011, 04:49:03 PM
So theres a fellow in FL that has the same business name Endless Ink Printing , claims he had the name first. Refuses to return any emails with proof... What would you do?

[url]http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086[/url] ([url]http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086[/url])

The FB URL comes back as Page Not Found
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: tpitman on July 15, 2011, 05:13:39 PM: All that comes up from Google are maps and addresses over in Bradenton. No website or any other info. Hell, he probably ripped it off from YOU.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shawn (EIP) on July 15, 2011, 05:13:55 PM: Quote from: Fresh Baked Printing on July 15, 2011, 05:08:18 PM
Quote from: endless ink printing on July 15, 2011, 04:49:03 PM
So theres a fellow in FL that has the same business name Endless Ink Printing , claims he had the name first. Refuses to return any emails with proof... What would you do?

[url]http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086[/url] ([url]http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086[/url])

The FB URL comes back as Page Not Found

Yeah I've tried mutiple ways to link the page without it redirecting back to my home page. If you go into facebook and search Endless Ink Printing you'll see me and the other guy.

I probably have nothing to worry about , I just dont like the fact if you search in facebook that theres 2 of us.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shanarchy on July 15, 2011, 05:15:17 PM: Quote from: Fresh Baked Printing on July 15, 2011, 05:08:18 PM
Quote from: endless ink printing on July 15, 2011, 04:49:03 PM
So theres a fellow in FL that has the same business name Endless Ink Printing , claims he had the name first. Refuses to return any emails with proof... What would you do?

[url]http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086[/url] ([url]http://www.facebook.com/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086[/url])

The FB URL comes back as Page Not Found

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086?sk=info (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Endless-Ink-Screen-Printing/145802902149086?sk=info)

We can all tell him we expect him to honor your prices!
Just kidding Shawn! You know I have nothing but love for ya!

In reality, he is in FL, you are in NY. It's annoying but it happens. There is some random company named Scrimshaw who picks up at my local distributor. I can't find any information about them online anywhere. Now that one annoys the hell out of me!
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Sbrem on July 15, 2011, 05:15:36 PM: Our incorporation is only for Massachusetts. There is another Imprint Graphics, Inc. in Dalls, nice folks, but we still wouldn't sell them our domanin name. I think you just have to deal with it...

Steve
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shanarchy on July 15, 2011, 05:16:29 PM: http://www.chrisnifong.com (http://www.chrisnifong.com)

that is their website url - expired!
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shawn (EIP) on July 15, 2011, 05:18:27 PM: hey my doppelganger does have a nice spiffy logo lol
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shawn (EIP) on July 15, 2011, 05:21:07 PM: Nothing to worry about I guess... Wasn't sure if I should get excited or not. At least they do not seem very active on the interwebs.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shanarchy on July 15, 2011, 05:21:42 PM: Quote from: endless ink printing on July 15, 2011, 05:18:27 PM
hey my doppelganger does have a nice spiffy logo lol

Well, it would be cheaper than hiring someone to design a new one. Just add "since 1975" (or whenever you were born) to it. hahha
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Shawn (EIP) on July 15, 2011, 05:26:41 PM: Quote from: Shanarchy on July 15, 2011, 05:21:42 PM
Quote from: endless ink printing on July 15, 2011, 05:18:27 PM
hey my doppelganger does have a nice spiffy logo lol

Well, it would be cheaper than hiring someone to design a new one. Just add "since 1975" (or whenever you were born) to it. hahha

I was being a sarcastic smart ass lol.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Sbrem on July 15, 2011, 05:27:39 PM: "...1975, when you were born" hee hee, that's when I started printing t-shirts...
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: ebscreen on July 15, 2011, 05:32:57 PM: Nowadays once you have the domain name that's pretty much it.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: tpitman on July 15, 2011, 05:42:26 PM: One thing you might want to do, Shawn, if you haven't already, is snap up all of the domain extensions you can, like .net, .us, .biz to keep him from glomming onto your presence, your growing success, maybe even your niche. Just a thought.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: 3Deep on July 15, 2011, 06:01:32 PM: Heck I looked everywhee to make sure we are the only 3 Deep Screenprinting biz, but after a few years I started seeing 3 Deep popup...someone even swipe our name for there email address. I don't worry we,ve been 3 Deep so long I can't remember, but if I see 3 deep and our logo being used, I,m getting hpyer our logo is custom shoudn't be nothng like in the world. Now I,ve seen some others copy us or just coincident 3 c's, 3 g's which is my own town and I know they got that from us. Can't sue anyone for using 3 Deep but can sue if they use my logo...Shawn I wouldn't sweat it.

Darryl
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: mk162 on July 18, 2011, 10:21:37 AM: Funny that we are the only Repla Prints I know of, yet Repla.com was taken...by a company that sells door locks and access control keypads. Strange as heck since that isn't the name of their company...

nevermind, now it is a gluten free
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Frog on July 18, 2011, 10:23:55 AM: Did you look into the owner there being named Alper also?
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: mk162 on July 18, 2011, 11:11:29 AM: No, they might be, it's actually Alpers, but Srepla Prints sounds funny. There aren't too many other Alpers around. I'm related to a good bit of them.

I tried emailing them and it bounces back.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: ZooCity on July 18, 2011, 12:30:09 PM: States have their different ways of handling registered business names. As Frog's pointed out Cali does it by county, here in MT we go by the whole state. But none of that does much for you federally. If you really want to hold down your business name you need to trademark it. It costs around 500-1000 to do it right with a good IP lawyer and you'll need to brand a little more heavily once you do but then it yours to protect (at your cost). In a case like this you'd send a simple cease and desist and that would probably do it.

The real question is- how important is your business name to your business? A lot of us are guilty of working "in" our companies rather than "on" them and many of our clients are seeing the business as ourselves more than any logo or name. That's okay for a smaller operation and in cases like that there's little need to worry much about the business name but if you want to leave the company at any point and have it continue to operate and be healthy you better start branding it and protecting that brand from dilution.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: RICK STEFANICK on July 18, 2011, 05:35:43 PM: How about the possibility that no search was ever done and some one else just came up with the same name? across state lines there is not much you can do. if you incorporate in your state you have a leg to stand on with anyone who uses it in the state. although in alot of cases states will incorporate with only slight changes in the name or spelling.
Title: Re: what to do when you come across a business with the same name as yours?
Post by: Donnie on July 18, 2011, 08:23:24 PM: "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTAr4r24X3Q#ws)