Last year I started brainstorming a possible business idea in the fintech space with a friend.
We came up with a name and set up a static page with a form. We never formed a company.
Eventually, we decided that the idea wasn't good enough. Last month we killed the landing page.
Last week, we received a letter from a French legal firm, asking us to stop using the name because it is somehow similar to their client company's, which operates in a similar space.
They also request that we "surrender" the domain names that we purchased to the company for free.
Since the landing page is no longer online and the business idea is buried, I don't worry too much.
My question is: do they have any right to order us to give up the domain names?
It sounds like a bullshit move to me. They can have the domain names, but they have to pay for them.
Note that the landing page was targeted at the European market, with a focus on Italy and Germany.
Last week, we received a letter from a French legal firm, asking us to stop using the name because it is somehow similar to their client company's, which operates in a similar space. They also request that we "surrender" the domain names that we purchased to the company for free.
Since the landing page is no longer online and the business idea is buried, I don't worry too much. My question is: do they have any right to order us to give up the domain names?
It sounds like a bullshit move to me. They can have the domain names, but they have to pay for them.
Note that the landing page was targeted at the European market, with a focus on Italy and Germany.