Is there a problem using a deposit method in the domain name?

[DunderMannen]

Would there be a problem using a domain like; PayPalCasinos.com or similar?

It's best I know if such a thing can be copyright infringement before even going ahead with the idea.

[PaulEchere]

The policies they have put up don't explicitly state, that you can't use their name in a URL, but there are a couple more things to consider here.
Their patents page (https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mp...locale.x=en_US) lists loads of articles without any specific description and probably if go through all of them you will find something, that would stop you.
Also, they historically try to distance themselves from gambling as much as they can and putting "PayPal" and "Casino" in the same URL might have the same effect on them as a red flag for a bull. Given it get's noticed, of course.
I would personally recommend staying away from patented brand names.

[Strider1973]

Well, if you have to ask here, then it's probably clear, isn't it?

Or formulated differently: why don't you just ask Paypal for their permission if you think it's OK?



That said, you can get away for a long time without getting letters from the lawyer department of that payment method company.
For example, I simply mentioned "Western Union" in the text (!) within an article about a casino as a deposit method and only after 8 years I got an email from my webhost with about 12 hours time to remove it.
On the other hand, I have a domain with the deposit method in the URL (!) and it's also online for >8 years now.

So, if you are lucky, you can get away with it for some time. I just wouldn't build a big website on a URL that you don't have the rights to use.

[DunderMannen]

The policies they have put up don't explicitly state, that you can't use their name in a URL, but there are a couple more things to consider here.
Their patents page (https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mp...locale.x=en_US) lists loads of articles without any specific description and probably if go through all of them you will find something, that would stop you.
Also, they historically try to distance themselves from gambling as much as they can and putting "PayPal" and "Casino" in the same URL might have the same effect on them as a red flag for a bull. Given it get's noticed, of course.
I would personally recommend staying away from patented brand names.

I wasn't talking about PayPal specifically, just in general a brand name in the domain. But yeah, I get the point...

Well, if you have to ask here, then it's probably clear, isn't it?

Or formulated differently: why don't you just ask Paypal for their permission if you think it's OK?



That said, you can get away for a long time without getting letters from the lawyer department of that payment method company.
For example, I simply mentioned "Western Union" in the text (!) within an article about a casino as a deposit method and only after 8 years I got an email from my webhost with about 12 hours time to remove it.
On the other hand, I have a domain with the deposit method in the URL (!) and it's also online for >8 years now.

So, if you are lucky, you can get away with it for some time. I just wouldn't build a big website on a URL that you don't have the rights to use.

I guess it'd be a really fun experiment trying to rank #1 for "casino with PayPal" for example with an exact match domain, and all BH links. It's not worth taking the WH approach to such site, because even if you skip the Google punishment - PayPal punishment in this case would probably be even worse.

[mediapartner]

i would definately not do this..it is asking for problems. even if you dont violate any terms, if they decide to sue you, it will cost you at least huge headaches...

We had dinersclubcasino.com and had some huge problems with it due to it being a copyright violation... we had the domain since 2000, and never had complaints till 2020 they started to push and send lawyers, lawsuits and things like that. they even contacted our license company which could have a huge impact... in the end we decided to get rid of the domain...as its not worth it to fight against such giants...

[LeeBon]

thanks for your information
quite a cimplicated question for me. now I understand this topic

[Juan Roman]

That is definitely a risky move, but I believe it very much depends on which company is in the domain name. Chances are the big guns like PayPal, Skrill, Visa and so on will come for you eventually, but I believe the new fintech companies are much more lenient.

I am sure that some of them, especially those actively targeting the iGaming industry, understand that it may be in their best interest for casino affiliates to further promote their service via dedicated pages or even a website.

I wouldn't invest a lot of money into the site due to potential risks of it being taken down, but a small investment could go a long way.

I had one such site. It started to rank within the first month (only White Hat, not even link buying), it went on to earn good money in affiliate commissions before selling it also for a pretty good amount. I was well aware of the risk from the get-go, but it was too good an opportunity to pass on. And my gut feeling eventually proved spot on.

[gil.langelaan]

If it's something crypto-relevant - that's a good idea. But about Payment systems, I'm not sure due to different t&c. But again as it was said above, you can always ask for permission and it could work for you.

[PROFRBcom]

paypalsucks.com and screwpaypal.com used to be active sites... I was going to say, no worries with Paypal issues... but now I notice both domains are not active, one suspended and one a parked page so hmmm

I note that hxxp://www.paypalwarning.com/ is up and running just fine.

Maybe using a DMCA ignoring host would be the way to go if you are using PayPal in the domain name?

[tufty]

It is a blatant trademark infringement. There is no need to specify that this is unacceptable in any of their smallprint, because general trademark law covers this. The only way would be to get permission from paypal, which obviously you would never get.

[DunderMannen]

paypalsucks.com and screwpaypal.com used to be active sites... I was going to say, no worries with Paypal issues... but now I notice both domains are not active, one suspended and one a parked page so hmmm

I note that hxxp://www.paypalwarning.com/ is up and running just fine.

Maybe using a DMCA ignoring host would be the way to go if you are using PayPal in the domain name?

Yeah that was the plan if I were to go through with it, but now that I look at other keywords I think it's just not worth the extra hassle right now. I can get the same amount of traffic without brand in the domain using other exact match domains.

[shimichan]

Such domains are not recommended as they can attract users with the wrong perception.
It would be even worse if the payment method was no longer used.

[universal4]

Answer to the original question, "no" unless you want to keep the name and reduce the risk of an actual lawsuit for trademark infringement and damages.

Granted, I do not know of cases where brand name owners have gone after damages, BUT I know of a ton of cases where a brand name owner has seized names the last 20 years.

Rick
Universal4

[Sherlock]

BUT I know of a ton of cases where a brand name owner has seized names the last 20 years.

Exactly. Nobody wants to sue anybody. UDRP is easy. I lost some domains like that.

If you do not doxx yourself at domain registrar and hosting, nobody will do to you anything, because they have nobody to go after. Even when it is indeed an infringement.