Slipknot have filed a lawsuit against whoever it is that owns the domain name slipknot.com, claiming that that person or company is cybersquatting in violation of US law and also infringing the band’s trademarks.
If that’s true, the unknown owner of the domain has been violating the law and infringing the band’s trademarks for a very long time, given they first registered slipknot.com on 5 Feb 2001, forcing the band to use the domain name slipknot1.com instead.
That 2001 domain registration, the new lawsuit claims, was an effort to “profit off” the band’s “goodwill”, and to “trick unsuspecting visitors, under the impression they are visiting a website owned, operated or affiliated” by or with the band “into clicking on web searches and other sponsored links”.
Currently when you go to slipknot.com you are presented with three buttons. At least some of those are related to the band, for example linking off to ticketing websites and unofficial Slipknot merch sites. The band claims that whoever owns the domain earns money from the operators of the sites that are linked to.
Domain names are usually issued by domain registries on a first come first served basis, and the fact you already operate under a specific name - and/or own the trademark in a specific name - doesn't give you any particular right to own that name in the context of an internet domain.
However, the US Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act does provide some protection to a trademark owner if it can be shown that a third party registered and operates a domain that features the trademark in bad faith.
Slipknot’s lawsuit provides a concise history of the band, including that they formed in 1995, recorded their first demo using the name Slipknot in 1996, signed with Roadrunner Records in 1998 and released their eponymous debut album in 1999. They were also touring and selling merch throughout that time.
The band’s logo - which is the word ‘Slipknot’ in a specific writing style - was first registered with the US trademark registry in 2002, the band having begun the registration process in 1999. At the time of registration they claimed a ‘first use’ date of 4 Apr 1996. More recently, in 2024, the band also registered the word Slipknot in its unstylised generic form as a separate trademark.
When the unknown party registered slipknot.com in 2001, they argue, the band’s name was already famous and they were in the process of formally registering their logo with the US trademark registry. Therefore, they allege, that registration was deliberately intended to profit off the band’s fame and brand.
Given Slipknot famously wear masks on stage, obscuring their identities, it is slightly ironic - although not surprising - no one knows who actually owns the slipknot.com domain. The domain owner’s identity is obscured in the official domain registry, as is often the case, with just an address in the Cayman Islands publicly available on file. As a result the lawsuit targets John Doe and Company ABC.
Keen to show bad faith on the part of the defendants, and therefore that the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act has been violated, the lawsuit says that the unknown party is “using a domain name that is identical to the Slipknot mark with a bad faith intent to profit therefrom”.
By linking through to unofficial Slipknot merch, it adds, they are also facilitating “the sale of unauthorised and counterfeit Slipknot goods by third-party websites”.
It’s not clear why Slipknot is suing now after so many years of not controlling the dotcom domain that uses their band name, although this lawsuit follows a flurry of litigation that has seen other artists and bands seeking to stamp out the sale of bootleg merch. Therefore this lawsuit may be part of an attempt by Slipknot to stop bootleg merch sales online.
Citing the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, Slipknot and their company are seeking a court order that would transfer ownership of slipknot.com to the band. They are also suing for trademark infringement and unfair competition.
