[there was a small chance that]ROCKSTAR GAMES AND TAKE TWO INTERACTIVE[could have] SUED ME

Shortly after Rockstar Games announced that Manhunt 2 was coming this summer, I registered www.manhunt3.com. Why? For the same reason I registered www.BreastPhysics.com, www.3dPlatformers.com, www.CharlieSpradling.com, and numerous other goofy domain names. For the same reason a dog licks his balls. Because I could.

I actually forgot about it for about a month until I got this e-mail:

Mr. Parker,

I am an attorney with Take Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games. We recently learned that you registered the domain name manhunt3.com.

Your registration of manhunt3.com violates our rights in the manhunt trademark. I would appreciate it if you would contact me by March 7, 2008 to arrange the transfer of the domain to Rockstar Games.

Sincerely,
Gena Feist


Gena A. Feist
Vice President & Associate General Counsel
Take Two Interactive

I didn't completely freak out, but I was very concerned. I'm a fairly un-rich apartment dweller with two kids so I have completely no resources to fight this sort thing. After doing a bit of research on the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act I knew that I couldn't ask for more than the money I paid to register it, so I called Gena on the 6th and just told her outright that I wasn't trying to get rich off of this and I'd transfer it over right away. She was happy to wrap it up so easily and offered to "send me some Rockstar gear" when it was all over. After a few e-mails back and forth with the Rockstar tech guy(and after remembering that I had also registered manhunt4.com), it was done and I received a package(Simon called it a ransom, I prefer "bounty") about a week later.

Three t-shirts(Vice City Stories logo on black, Barcode logo on black, San Andres logo on white), a gray pullover with a small embroidered Rockstar logo, a light gray knitted cap with ROCKSTAR knitted in white around the bottom, and a beautiful [hot]coffee mug with a Great Wave off Kanagawa-inspired design featuring the small R* logo(Hmmm...maybe the first proof of GTA: Toyko?).

All in all, I'm happy with the outcome. I meant no malice. I wasn't trying to screw anybody over. I got some company swag. Maybe there was a chance that they really didn't have an obvious right to the domains, but I am an admitted Rockstar fan and as I said before wasn't doing this to start trouble.

At least I got a good story out of it.