Have you seen or heard the Intel Pentium III radio and TV ads featuring the blue door with the message 'Intel Inside'?
Millions of viewers have and they're trying to get to the Intel website by using a www.bluedoor.com URL. Instead of Intel, though, the address takes you straight to the adult video rental and sexual devices online store appropriately named Blue Door. While traffic for the adult site doubled the exact day Intel's February advertising campaign started, most of this traffic exits as quickly as they came.
"Intel seekers who come upon the site assume that we are ripping off Intel when you can argue that they ripped off us," said Gene Trent, chief executive of Blue Door. Before the advertising campaign, Intel inquired about buying Blue Door's URL, but Trent turned down the offer.
Blue Door has contacted Intel about the alleged infringement but has not filed a lawsuit. Trent says a court battle would be too expensive for his small company. Intel contacted Blue Door before the advertisements ran to buy the URL, but Trent had no desire to sell.
Intel maintains that no trademark infringement has occurred and the commonalties are minimal. In traditional commerce, Blue Door and Intel's blue door probably would never cross paths, Trent said. But, in the realm of e-commerce Blue Door and Intel's blue door brand and business names are universal commodities.
