The Bluff City, Tennessee Police Department has a bit of egg on its face as a result of the expired domain name it used for its website. According to a news report, the employee who handles domain renewals for the department was on sick leave, and the BluffCityPD.com domain name expired in the interim as a result of not paying the renewal fee.
After the domain name expired, it became available for anyone to purchase. Recent speeding ticket recipient Brian McCrary did just that, when he saw that the domain name was soon to expire. He launched a website focusing on speeding camera news and links, and it also has links to many articles written about this story, including an Associated Press article.
Some people might question whether this is legit, but it does not appear that he is profiting from his use of the domain registration, and it could be considered his First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech by expressing his feelings on this domain name.
For its part, the Police Department hasn’t mentioned whether it intends to try and get the domain name back from McCrary. It appears that the Bluff City website does not link to the domain name. The city could attempt to file a UDRP but that would be a bit expensive, and I don’t think they would have great odds. It might just be in everyone’s interest to work something out in private that is favorable to both parties.
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Thanks to James for sending me the article.
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