OK to restart an app abandoned by it's founders?
An app I thought was a great idea shut down more than 3 years ago.
I recently had the idea to bring it back, and found the domain was available, so I bought it.
I also found the trademark marked ABANDONED/DEAD.
The company raised a small round of funding, and was popular for about a year in certain Twitter circles.
It likely has some brand recognition among those in the startup crowd, so using the same name / domain may be somewhat of a growth hack?
I've tried to reach the founders and others on the original team multiple times via multiple methods, to no response.
I'd prefer to get their consent - but interested to hear whether you think it'd be OK to just go ahead and reopen the site?
This is an existential threat to your company if you go down this road without being absolutely rock-solid, legally. Secure the time of a trademark lawyer, don't rely on a bunch of internet amateurs (and I say that with love) like us guessing.
Preach! Will do
I wouldn't pursue it unless you can secure the trademark, otherwise, would be too easy for the original founders to come in and try to revive their old stuff (since there tends to be grace periods and legal precedence of them already owning said trademark).
Names are a dime a dozen, building a great product shouldn't be contingent on having a specific name.
Why not just find the original founders and ask?
I've tried Twitter, LinkedIn, and emails - no response.
I would make sure to have a blog and have a post at the very beginning with this information, the search, the lack of answer, your good will, maybe even an exit plan. Something to validate your position should they come back.
How do you know the trademark is dead?
I don't know much about copyright law so I'm not sure what the legal side of this entails. If it were me, I'd be wary of just using the same name and domain. I would use a similar name and then have the old domain redirect to the new site. It might be a growth hack to reuse the same name. It also might feel shady to the old customers who had some expectation of the old founders.
Another thing to keep in mind is that that name is for a startup that ultimately shut down. You may want to figure out why they shut down and what went wrong so you can avoid that. Using a new name will also help convey that you are avoiding the problems that the old company faced.
There actually were no customers - the site was free to use. They ultimately shut down because they ran out of money, couldn't raise more, and had no interest in building out an indie business. I just love the name/brand though! Ugh
Thanks for the thoughts!
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I like the new name. Maybe one that points to an upgrade or revision. Like 2.0 or ++. Then have the old domain point to it. That way it is seen as an updated version of the original. However, check with an attorney before attempting it or you could be building something for someone else to take.
That's actually a good question, I wonder the legality of that situation...
Maybe better to ask a lawyer!?
This comment was deleted 6 years ago
I was never employed by them, I will though!