I was in a argument with a friend the other day, on a ZZT chat room. They made a group like BlackMail Inc. and I told him for that to be true he had to like.. buy the name or something like that, he told me he didn't, so what better then to go to the Gurus of Byond who nit-pik everything and see what they have to say..?
So.. what do you say?
ID:188352
 May 1 2004, 6:04 pm
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May 1 2004, 6:44 pm
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SuperSaiyanGokuX
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I know myself that you do have to buy the name. I have a company named Abyss Inc. and I made a name like that on BYOND and they just sent me an e-mail saying:
Subject: Illegal key To: "Abyss Incorperated" <[email protected]> From: "BYOND Staff" <[email protected]> Add to Address Book Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2004 20:58:55 -0700 (PDT) "Incorporated" is not a word to be tossed around lightly; it is a specific legal term. If you continue to use the Abyss Incorporated key you need to provide some documentation that you have actually legally incorporated. | |
Wow, that seems a bit odd to me. I never knew they would get onto your back for using Incorporated and what not in your name, since I sometimes use it when I sign up for stuff since it sometimes sounds neat.
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Better that the BYOND staff gets on your back than the SEC or the trademark holder of an actual "Inc." that's close to the one you claim. :)
Using "Inc." is saying you're a corporation, which is like saying you're a lawyer or a doctor: it may impress people but you need the paper to back it up. | |
I really couldnt see what the big deal is, if a real company came along and asked for it, Id just be like, ok, and change my name.
People worry about too much, all the time. | |
If I owned a company that was incorporated, and found some slimey internet kid going around getting himself banned while using my name, I'd sue the crap out of his parents. Using someone else's protected name is a big deal. You're affecting public opinion of the company by mis representing them. It's even worse when that kid makes crappy DBZ games or spams communities with net speak. Think about that the next time you want to sound cool.
~X | |
Xooxer wrote:
If I owned a company that was incorporated, and found some slimey internet kid going around getting himself banned while using my name, I'd sue the crap out of his parents. Using someone else's protected name is a big deal. You're affecting public opinion of the company by mis representing them. It's even worse when that kid makes crappy DBZ games or spams communities with net speak. Think about that the next time you want to sound cool. Very nicely put, I was busy writing something similar, but deleted it after I saw yours. =D | |
A real company coming along is actually the least of it. You could be unknowingly using somebody's registered trademark or service mark whether or not they're incorporated. It's a concern, of course, but not the big one.
"Inc." represents a legal status overseen by an arm of the government. It's far more complicated than being a "real company." There's real companies that aren't incorporated and there's entities that are incorporated that you wouldn't call a company. It means something, in the business world and the legal world, and in order to keep it meaning something, they won't turn a completely blind eye to small concerns (like those run by kids over the internet) that throw the word around without any weight behind it. Saying you'd stop if somebody official pointed it out is like saying you'll continue to practice securities fraud until the SEC tells you it's wrong. :P You might think nobody would bother, until you stop and realize how many now-important (or at least once-wealthy) internet companies were started by kids out of their parents' basement. :P | |
The thing is, I doubt most people using it as a name would be trying to start a company, but rather be using it as an alias. I for one have little to no intention of starting up a buisness, and even if I did use Inc. in my name, I wouldn't have that intention of starting one.
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If you're not trying to give the impression that you're a company, you have even less reason to be tacking "Inc." on the end of your name... and either way, the legal ramifications are still exactly the same.
("Productions" or "Entertainment" or "Co." are all valid, though.) | |
I sincerely intend on becoming one fish down, and digi probably intends on becoming a digital mouse. I think Splatty already is a gnome, and HavenMaster has the intention of becoming the master of a haven, or maybe multiple havens.
Or, maybe those are just our names. | |
OneFishDown wrote:
and HavenMaster has the intention of becoming the master of a haven, or maybe multiple havens. Damn it, it seems as though you have discovered by ultimate plan for world domination. I might as well tell it from the beginning... It all started when I was a little platypus. I grew the same as any other malformed creature until one day I decided I'd make a website. It would be the best website ever, dedicated to how great it was. But, alas, I ran into one snag - my name was taken. thehaven.com was taken by a retirement home. First my tax dollars, now my domain. Hmph. After that day I began my plotting, which led me straight to BYOND. Noticing that my key name was taken, I added the master suffix. Now there are two Havens for me to conquer. My name started popping up everywhere on the web (HavenMaster), from people who were clearly not me. Now I was getting annoyed. I wrote a highly sophisticated program in DM to help me get rid of this nuisance. I called it: Sophisticated Pwning Ultimate Zoo-keeping Zebra-herding Mental-case "SPUZZUM's" cause was to rid the world of all imposter Havens in one stroke - a MMORPG, also called "Haven." I ran into some glitches, however, with a procrastination bug that I find impossible to fix. You probably know too much already. Ignore the snipers setting up on your roof. The REAL Haven Master | |
Using "Inc." is saying you're a corporation, which is like saying you're a lawyer or a doctor: it may impress people but you need the paper to back it up. A good general rule, but there are exceptions. Surely no one would scoff at Murder Inc., nor Hasenpfeffer Inc. | |
WARNING: Off topic.
Ummm.... Lord Of The Angry DUcks Zitty Intelligent Tumor Inside Karen's Epidermis Anyone want me to make strange stuff outta their name? | |
OneFishDown wrote:
...and digi probably intends on becoming a digital mouse... Already got that covered: 'digitalmouse international' is a legal entity in the business sense (atleast here in Europe). I registered the name, I pay taxes through it as a business, etc., etc. Been doing that for nearly 3 years now. So nyah! :p | |
No one? Apparently we aren't acquainted with a little thing called "Hasenpfeffer Inc Scoffers, LLC."
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Karasu Kami wrote:
He's found a loop hole, nab him! No loop hole here - I just followed the rules for registering businesses. :p | |