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Morning Folks!!
Let me tell you about these PRICKS and then YOU decide! Destiny has brought you here! As you will read, I did not look for this mess. I was just goofing off, minding my own business until I was contacted by these FOOLS that are STILL clueless as they tried to take what was not theirs via the courts and lost. TWICE!!
This site is to make sure there is never a THIRD time by shining light on this practice of what I call 'Reverse Domain Hijacking'. That's when a big company competes with a small guy and loses in the market place of ideas. Then uses financial intimidation by using the court system to try and take what is not theirs. Most small guys can not afford to defend themselves and so they cave. I have spent thousands to defend MY property. My domain name, Goofoff.com. This gives me a platform to alert others. Don't cave! Fight! And if you don't have the $$$ to fight.....fight with whatever you have! Shine a BRIGHT light on whoever and let public opinion weigh in.
Updated 8AM July 27th.....'What Moron is responsible for this mess?'
After not hearing from these GOOFS about one of my domain names (GoofOff.com) for over a decade after they unsuccessfully tried to take it from me in 1999, I got an email on April 13th of this year stating Goof-Off.com (with the hyphen) would like to 'engage in a discussion' to acquire my domain name GoofOff.com (without the hyphen). My guess is because they know that a domain with a 'hyphen' in it leaks a shit load of traffic to the domain without the 'hyphen' in it. Just like a .NET domain leaks a shit load of traffic to a .COM domain name. Sorry, but if you own a .NET domain name, you have an 'Orphan' extension because the default is .COM. a HUGE percentage of people make the mistake. So do you blame all the owners of the .COM counterpart?? That's just BAD marketing in my book no matter who does it!
So not exactly my problem until they tried to pee on the electric fence. ME! Their 'Tactics' you will read below are horrendous and you may ask yourself how STUPID can a company be?? This must have gone up to the highest levels of whatever company owns and or advertises the product and they decided to try and intimidate me LEGALLY TWICE since 1999. They lost LEGALLY TWICE and That got them THIS!!
THEY initiated contact with me with the following:
'We would like to entertain a discussion about what it would take for both companies to come to an agreement on the Goofoff.com domain name moving to WM Barr as the registrant.'
I responded to the firm I figured was representing Lilly Industries (Tho I don't know who actually now owns the 'Goof Off' cleaner) about what happened in 1999 after originally registering the domain in May 1998 and stated 'For me to respond or even entertain a negotiation, I would have to have your assurance that this will not be used against me in any way, shape or form, EVER. I don't violate trademarks and not looking for a clever way to be entrapped.'
Their response after THEM contacting ME was an NAF case.
So that was a low blow W.M.Barr & Co. and I don't forget things like that. It just fuels me to fight hard and make W.M.Barr & Co. the poster company for Corporate Bullies and companies that engage in Reverse Domain Name Hijacking.
The image below was created for ourpress release in 1999. Feel free to copy. While I can afford to defend my domain name many mom and pop outfits can not. They just lay down and give in and many times unnecessarily. Destroying their family business. It cost me several thousand dollars to defend this domain. Many small businesses and startups would not be able to fight back and would lose something they were actually entitled to. It's bullying in the worst form. INDEFENSIBLE in my book.
Howard and I are now about to go on the offense. Once again they can defend their interference and their cyber bullying in a more public forum and their own customers/stockholders can learn of their heavy handedness. And the tactics they use to “Negotiate”.
To Howard’s credit he never even brought this email up in the NAF case! I am sure he will use that email forcefully the next time we joust and show the world what predatory nonsense I believe that W.M. Barr is engaging in when they continue to interfere with my business. Once again trying to overstep their trademark protection on multiple fronts. They are not entitled to my domain just because they are a large company and want what I own! That is just HORSE SHIT! These MORONS have not not addressed the FACT that I registered GoofOff.com two years before they obtained a registered trademark for the generic words GOOF OFF. Therefore, they could never prove the Goofoff.com was registered and used in bad faith and I am getting dammed pissed off every time they make that assertion and paint me as the predator when in FACT, it is the other way around!
This increases the value of the domain as I invest more and more $$ not only protecting me and goofoff.com but displaying to the world the value and the peril of a domain name and corporate cyberbullies that try and take what others rightfully own. As you might imagine, I don't have a very high regard for these folks after this. I won't even talk to them directly in the future. They will have to go thru Howard and he won't even negotiate until I am reimbursed my costs. These folks can take a subliminal message from my last post. A 6 word beauty!
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
July 27, 2010
Welcome to all the folks that typed in GoofOff.com. Now that I have control of my domain again I want to make sure GoofOff.com does not accidentally confuse anyone, contain any objectionable ads, whatsoever. I have decided to make this the new home of GoofOff to avoid any of this in the future.
Updates below as needed......
*Goofoff.com is in no way related to the folks that own, sell, or advertise 'Goof Off Miracle remover'TM
(Removes everything but us) We are here to freely express opinions, have a good time and just GOOFOFF.COM! Now post or SCRAM!W. M. Barr.....Leave me alone, stop interfering with my business or I will be free to tell folks what I REALLY think of you!! There is NO FUCKING CONFUSION HERE! We sell NOTHING. Have owned this domain in excess of 12 YEARS and.......I'll save the rest if and when I EVER hear from your Motherf*ckers again. You can start with an apology!
In 1999 this made news worldwide. Here is the article from theLondon Register from back then where I was quoted as saying 'These 'corporate bullies' intimidate small firms and individuals into relinquishing domains through the threat of litigation despite the fact that they have no legal rights to the domain,' I said. 'The only 'confusion' is in their minds -- just another example of a large company that decided they can force a small business to succumb to their demands,'
'According to Websters [dictionary], a 'Goof off' is a noun that means a person that wastes time or avoids work; a shirker. As such 'Goofoff.com' is being used quite appropriately,'
That was then. Now I think they are nothing but TOE JAM. Want what I OWN that bad that you can't live without it?? It's called CAPITALISM you slimy BASTARDS. If I were you I would fire the MORON that did not have the foresight to register it when it was THERE FOR THE TAKING!! You lived without it for 11 more years and one day what happened?? Figured you would take another bite of the apple?? Think you could become a bully again and everyone would forget? Well I am the prick in charge of reminding them and everyone else. You can explain the rest to whoever.
Did it cost you business by not owning this domain over the past years? Probably. But I would never to be stupid enough to have a product without the matching domain name. The way I view things that comes FIRST. I have devoted my last 15 years of life explaining to businesses about the importance of a domain name and the sense of urgency that it is attached to. I am on record since the days that I was laughed at and thought a fool with more money than brains by investing in domain names and what I could build on them.But to continue to accuse me and that 'I' did something wrong by registering a common term and do it TWO YEARS before their trademark, well, that is BULLSHIT and now everyone knows it!!! Maybe the customers and shareholders will comment below that they agree with my opinion that management just FAILED to do their job and now it is spilling all over the place. Stop blaming me for shortsightedness I had no control over. I guess they were just GOOFING OFF when they should have been focused on marketing. Maybe they just should have left me alone after 11 years cuz they stepped on a hornets nest for wasting my time and money. The value for Goofoff.com was pretty limited back in 1999 when few knew what a domain name meant and the worldwide marketing value was still in debate. Today there is an entire multi-billion dollar domain name industry that was not even born in 1999. Welcome to Manhattan!
I am going to be updating GoofOff.com from time to time after that to let the world know about companies that do what this one is doing. I will be adding a chat board here and let freedom ring when this becomes a stand alone site next month with this content and live interaction. My INK. MY SITE, MY DECISION. For the record, the ONLY direct or indirect contact I have ever had with these folks have been initiated by them. I never even knew they existed before 1999 and thought nothing of them again until I received that BULLSHIT email in April.
In case you missed it or still are confused or just plain stupid........*Goofoff.com is in no way related to the folks that own, sell, or advertise 'Goof Off Miracle remover' TM
Goofoff.com is owned by ME. Goof off the cleaner.......that is the only thing confusing to me. Who the hell actually owns that?? Lilly, Valspar or W.M. Barr?? Maybe they just wanted to keep one of the names out of this?? I sure as hell have no idea. I AM confused! Does Lilly Industries still own and operate and manufacture....the cleaner or does Valspar which was either a name change or acquisition back in 2000 or is it W.M. Barr??? Not that anyone cares, but I find it a bit confusingly interesting. How about you? Maybe after last time they did this and saw the publicity and stir it caused they wanted to keep the big guys name out of this?? I really don't know. Just curious what the real story is? Just questions. What do you think??? I think maybe the company just goofed and handled this horribly. 11 years and they still have not figured it out. Now that is SAD!If I were the CEO running their company I would be asking two or three questions....'What MORON is responsible for THIS MESS?? Which department allowed this to spin out of control??? And how the hell are we going to fix it now????!
TM
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