The Winning name check should just be a recommendation rather than outright block the name from being submitted, especially since nobody is forcing the contest holder to choose the name. This especially bothers me when .com is still unregistered.
Given the rapid turnover in the business world, it is very likely that most of the businesses/websites that get their names on Squadhelp no longer exist and their owners have moved on to other things. No reason to block a name because someone paid for it once.
P.S In fact the domain name world would be much better if some people (Domain sellers and squatters) didnāt keep a stranglehold on great names. How many great .comās will never see use by fitting companies/entrepreneurs because they are parked or āFor saleā at unreasonable prices.
Names are generally a renewable and reusable resource unless there are well known brands by that name. In the end, a name is just a tool and a starting point; just an ingredient in a big unpredictable stew that is a business.
@lightless Yes, and that means they spend lots of money on trademarks with the best protection in all countries.
Nothing wrong with businesses wanting to sell phones calling their company AdvantEdge in every town around the world. Many CHs do not let us know their exact location, when the contest is done they can just add the town name at the end and we wouldnāt know, but that works. Not all business names are trademarked. Not all businesses want to shoot for the stars.
Plus I get the feeling that CHs usually write briefs that are overly optimistic, maybe that gave us the wrong impression. Itās all fantasy until it finally becomes reality. Itās a long way to the top!
Please donāt get me wrong. Of course I see the absurdity of AdvantEdge winning all the time. I just think that if you consider all aspects, you can see that this beast need to be slain with a little more sensitivity to all stakeholders, both creative as well as pragmatic, a brute force approach might do more bad than good.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. We will change this error to warning, and leave it to Creatives to use their best judgement in deciding whether or not to submit that name. We will announce here when this change is done.