I very recently joined this forum. When entering the site, it was clear as a bell to me there was no affiliation whatsoever with Harley-Davidson Motor Company or any of the companies it operates.
I am a writer by trade and am not foreign to some intellectual property issues. There have been relatively recent changes in intellectual property laws I am quite familiar.
As step 1, I'd suggest an intellectual property attorney be contacted to review this site to make an initial evaluation of the "case weight" of each side of the issue. This should not be particularly expensive and we could drum up those bucks quite easily, judging from unanimous member backing.
Although Harley-Davidson, Inc. operates several companies under different names, their official name is hypenated, i.e., Harley-Davidson. Why they can't assume a hypenated URL, avoid bad press, and avoid alienating dedicated customers is beyond me. Of course, it could be that the attorney doesn't know the formal name of his employer.
Bottom line, I suggest we pitch in and consult with a knowledgeable intellectual property attorney, and take it from there.
Sorry to be so wordy, but this is an issue that gets under my skin like it apparently does others.
nodawgs
I am a writer by trade and am not foreign to some intellectual property issues. There have been relatively recent changes in intellectual property laws I am quite familiar.
As step 1, I'd suggest an intellectual property attorney be contacted to review this site to make an initial evaluation of the "case weight" of each side of the issue. This should not be particularly expensive and we could drum up those bucks quite easily, judging from unanimous member backing.
Although Harley-Davidson, Inc. operates several companies under different names, their official name is hypenated, i.e., Harley-Davidson. Why they can't assume a hypenated URL, avoid bad press, and avoid alienating dedicated customers is beyond me. Of course, it could be that the attorney doesn't know the formal name of his employer.
Bottom line, I suggest we pitch in and consult with a knowledgeable intellectual property attorney, and take it from there.
Sorry to be so wordy, but this is an issue that gets under my skin like it apparently does others.
nodawgs