Prince’s estate reaches deal with New Jersey company over Web domain
Prince’s estate is said to have reached a deal to settle the matter over Prince.com, which should allow them to finally take ownership of the website.
On January 11, court documents were filed by the estate informing the court they had reached an agreement in the battle over the Web domain. The estate says the deal “is in the best interest of the estate and its beneficiaries.”
The estate is requesting that the court approve the settlement and close the case.
—Lionel Richie’s son, Miles, detained in London’s Heathrow Airport for alleged bomb threat—
As The Blast first reported, the estate sued a company called Domain Capital of New Jersey to take control of Prince.com. The estate claimed Domain Capital reached out to them saying they owned “the domain name www.prince.com pursuant to a lease-back financing agreement with an undisclosed third party.” Prince’s estate accused the company of violating the Lanham Act by registered the prince.com domain in bad faith and had intended to profit off of Prince’s trademarks.
The estate said Prince.com goes to a blank page and “is thus not being used for a bona fide commercial use.” They also claimed that Domain Capital “has never used the domain name www.prince.com in connection with a bona fide offering or any goods or services.”
—Charleston police arrest a local pastor for strangling a pregnant woman at his church—
They even accused the company, Domain Capital, of trying to hide the identity of the previous owner in a cybersquatting lawsuit. The lawsuit, which accuses Domain Capital of trying to seize on the popularity of Prince, was filed in Newark, New Jersey federal court by Comerica Bank and Trust N.A., as personal representatives of the estate of Prince and Paisley Park Enterprises, a company once owned by Prince but now owned and managed by his estate, according to Law Journal Newsletters.
Prince’s estate sued seeking a court order to transfer Prince.com over to them. They also sued seeking unspecified damages.
