Why we all need to support Donald Trump . . .

. . . at least this once.

See, Trump sued someone last week.

And no, it wasn’t about a birth certificate.  And it wasn’t his hair stylist.

It was a cyber squatter.

Mr. Celebrity Apprentice himself sued one J. Taikwok Yung for $400k.  Why?

Well, Mr. Yung bought a few domains back in 2007, including  trumpmumbai.com and trumpindia.com . . . shortly after The Donald announced plans to build condominiums there.

And this wasn’t just a whim . . . Mr. Yung calls himself a “domainer,” and buying domains like Trump’s is what he does . . . he buys domains using other people’s names, titles, products, etc. and then tries to profit by selling them.  You can read about it here.

Whether you know it or not, this happens to shows all the time.  That’s why I suggest to anyone and everyone out there who is thinking of writing or producing a show . . . Buy the domain first thing.  Even if you’ve got nothing but an idea!

Because you can bet your ISP that as soon as your show is announced, one of the many Broadway cybersquatters (oh, and they are out there), will snatch up your domain faster and hold it hostage until you need it most.  The owner of AFewGoodMen.com pretty much told me to go FewGoodMen myself when I offered him a reasonable payment for it.

And when they get it, you’ve got very little recourse.  Sure, you can make a claim with the Governing Body of the Internet (guess how long that takes) or yes, you can sue (guess how much money that takes), but at the end of the day, each time I’ve encountered it, I’ve had to pay . . . like a bribe.  You hate doing it, but what choice do you have?

And that’s why the D-Man deserves a little support on his suit.  By going public with this action, and by hopefully costing Mr. Yung a ton of money and time (although apparently he’s repping himself so far), other people may get the idea that this might not be a business worthy of getting into.

So win Donald.  Win.

Just don’t ever dream of running for President.

 

(Got a comment? I love ‘em, so comment below! Email Subscribers, click here then scroll down to say what’s on your mind!)

_ _

FUN STUFF:

– Read Day #15 of The Associate Producer’s Perspective!  Click here!

– Only 69 performances of Macbeth remain!  Get tix.

– Win two tickets to The Trip to BountifulClick here!

Related Posts

Podcasting

Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.

LEARN MORE