Ever wonder why Slipknot’s website is Slipknot1.com all of these years? Well, we now have answers to that mystery that may have never crossed many minds. According to Domain Name Wire, Slipknot have filed a federal lawsuit to regain control of the domain Slipknot.com. That’s without the “1” after it, accusing the current domain holder of cybersquatting and trademark infringement. The band claims that Slipknot.com was registered in 2001, years after their mid-’90s formation and immediate success from their 1999 debut, and has been misused to profit off their name ever since. The domain allegedly hosts pay-per-click ads for “concert tickets,” “Slipknot merchandise,” and “VIP packages,” misleading fans into thinking it’s the band’s official site.
The group’s legal team explained in the newly filed lawsuit:
“The domain name was registered in an effort to profit off of plaintiff’s goodwill and to trick unsuspecting visitors, under the impression they are visiting a website owned, operated, or affiliated with plaintiff, into clicking on web searches and other sponsored links.
A fan of plaintiff or someone who otherwise wanted to purchase authorized Slipknot merchandise would undoubtedly visit the slipknot.com website, assuming it belonged to plaintiff, and then purchase the Slipknot merchandise linked to on the site, causing damages to plaintiff.”
Slipknot’s attorney explained:
“The name of the registrant of the Slipknot.com domain is not identified in WHOIS or ICANN records, but these records list a post office box address for registrant in the Cayman Islands. Elsewhere in these records, ‘technical’ and ‘administrative’ contact information is given. Here, an organization named ‘Slipknot Online Services, Ltd’ is listed along with the same address in the Cayman Islands. A search for this organization name, however, shows that it is not registered in any state in the United States.”
Under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, Slipknot may be entitled to take ownership of the domain if it can prove that it was registered in bad faith. For now, the band continues to operate from Slipknot1.com. Bands also operate as a business and take their work and brand seriously. This lawsuit follows the two-month-old report that Slipknot were nearing a $120 million catalog sale to HarbourView Equity Partners, covering their recording royalties but excluding future releases. This new lawsuit continues to protect the band and their fans from any misleading activities and the use of their name for profit. Making efforts to protect their brand is a common practice that artists should take.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Jonathan Weiner
