It’s nice to be reminded every now and then that rock stars, no matter how big, really are just like the rest of us. Even more so you’ll probably appreciate this story if you’ve ever done business on the internet or purchased a domain name.
Eddie Vedder, 90s grunge survivor and frontman for Pearl Jam, is currently locked in a legal dispute with the current owner of eddievedder.com . EV Touring Inc., which represents Eddie Vedder and owns the trademark to the name (yes, he trademarked his own name), has just filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to try and wrestle the domain name back.
Back you say? Yes, back. In a strange twist it turns out that Pearl Jam actually owned the domain name from the early 00s right up until late 2010 when, you guessed it, they forgot to renew the name. Seeing the domain name come back up for sale a savvy web user snapped it up for no doubt a bargain and has now put it up for auction with a starting price of $18,400.
The complaint could take quite a while before it is eventually actioned by the WIPO so we do have to wonder why Vedder doesn’t simply just buy the domain name back. After all he must have some cash left lying around now Pearl Jam have sold an estimated 60 million albums worldwide.
Making it more perplexing is that the case is by no means open and shut. Lady Gaga recently tried to claim ladygaga.org after it was registered by someone else, only to have her case thrown out. We’ll let you know when the panel makes a decision on the matter, or when Vedder decides it’s simply easier to pay for his mistake.
