Band Slipknot files lawsuit against Slipknot.com — Heavy metal

Band cites parked page ads as proof of targeting.

The heavy metal band Slipknot has filed an in rem lawsuit (pdf) for cybersquatting against the domain name slipknot.com.

Slipknot.com was registered in 2001, and the band was formed in the 1990s.

Of course, slipknot is also a dictionary term for a type of knot.

But the band argues that the domain name owner has used the domain to profit from the band’s name. It provided a screenshot of pay-per-click ad links for “concert tickets”, “Slipknot merchandise”, and “concert vip packages”. (When I visited the domain today, it showed more generic ad links.)

It also claims that when you click “Slipknot Merchandise” and click the first ad, the results page shows counterfeit merchandise.

Slipknot.com is registered to Slipknot Online Services, Ltd. On the surface, this suggests that the registrant might have a legitimate interest in the domain name.

Lawyers for the band stated they searched for the organization and couldn’t find it registered in the United States. This isn’t surprising given that it has Ltd in its name and it has an address in Grand Cayman.