Sign.com and Signs.com settle dispute

You can’t trademark “sign” for selling signs.

The owners of the category-killer domain names Sign.com and Signs.com have settled a legal battle over their ability to co-exist.

In Janauary 2013 I wrote regarding how the owner of Sign.com made the bizarre claim that Signs.com was violating its service mark by using the domain Signs.com to sell signs.

An attorney for SA International, owner of Sign.com, sent a cease & desist letter to Signs.com:

The use of the substantially identical and confusing mark, SIGNS.com and the domain address www.signs.com is highly likely to cause confusion and also cause significant dilution of our client’s right to its mark.

Signs.com filed suit against SA International following receiving the cease & desist letter. It asked the judge for declaratory judgment that it wasn’t infringing SA International’s rights.

SA International fired back with its own counterclaims. Judging by the legal docket, both parties spent a lot of money on lawyers over the past 14 months.

As of March 13 this year the parties were still in heated arguments with each other, as stated by court documents.

Today the parties filed a joint stipulation of dismissal following settling the case. Terms of the settlement are confidential.

As of right now both Sign.com and Signs.com are operating as stores for buying custom-printed signs.