Hello everyone!

In 2017, I purchased a valuable domain for my project for $2k in the .com domain extension. The domain was originally registered in 2001.

Recently, a German individual has registered a trademark in Germany and is demanding that I relinquish the domain, or sell it for a significantly lower price of $150-300. This individual has threatened to sue me through ICANN or potentially through the German legal system.

I am not based in Germany nor do I have any plans to conduct business within the country. Instead, I plan on operating within Canada, India, and Arab countries.

I am concerned about the possibility of losing the domain. The previous owner had created a website using the domain from 2010-2014, which has been preserved in archives. However, the domain has been parked and unused since then. Could this inactivity be deemed as "bad faith" use of the domain?

If the individual has an international trademark, they may have the ability to take the domain via udrp. Inactivity such as parking the domain and offering it for sale would only strengthen the case against the domain owner.

It might be a good idea for the domain owner to inform the individual that the price has now been doubled or to ignore them completely and face the possibility of being banned indefinitely.

You are attempting to base legal arguments pertaining to the real right to domain names as if they were property. However, domains are not considered property and instead are managed through a service agreement.

Therefore, claims regarding domains are determined by registrar rules and regulations rather than property law. When dealing with claims related to domains, it is important to refer to the rules of registrars rather than the civil codes of different countries.