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1. • CommentAuthorJerseydoodles
   • CommentTimeSep 5th 2007

    
   Hi there!
   
   I hope this is appropriate to post.
   
   I’ve been breeding dogs for over 5 yrs now. www.jerseydoodles.com This is how I’m known throughout the dog realm. I’ve spent a fortune on my dogs and the appropriate testing on them so I can guarantee that I breed healthy dog. This has given me a well known, respected reputation.
   
   Another person, who lives 45 mins from me has decided that she will breed the same dogs (without testing them) and has named her site www.jerseyshoredoodles.com of course to ride on my reputation which is bothersome enough but my real fear is that my rep will suffer because of her.
   
   Well, she is advertising on Google Adwords, which I joined yesterday, but when I type in JERSEY DOODLES she comes up above me as a Sponsored Link, and I don’t..big ughh. Is there anything that I can do so that when the name of my site is typed in I come up and not her. I'm not looking to take her business but she sure is looking to take mine.
   
   Thanks for listening to me whine,
   
   Kathy
2. • CommentAuthorjoyously
   • CommentTimeSep 6th 2007

    
   If you have a trademark issue, you can pursue it legally. Otherwise, she can bid on whatever keywords she wants.
   I don't see why you'd want to bid on the keyword "jersey doodles" anyway. Make your website optimized for that one so you get that traffic for free.
   Think about keywords from the perspective of the searcher (you have to forget what you know about your website). I would think there are much better keywords to be had than your domain name.
3. • CommentAuthorCoolCat7FL
   • CommentTimeOct 2nd 2007 edited

    
   I would go to the us patent website or hire someone to help you apply for a Trademark; or ServiceMark your company name ... once you get it OK'd or approved, contact google and tell them there is trademark issue and they will prevent your competitor from bidding on your trademark or servicemark. Also do some homework and find your state rules on DBA fictitious names; if your state only allows one name for the whole state, approach google and see if they will consider this the same as a trademark.
   
   If they are coming up above you on paid advertising (adwords) as opposed to organic listing, just bid more than them. (Best and quickest solution) If you've been doing this awhile, you have a good profit stream, so consider a bidding war with opponent and stay #1 and outbid them.
   
   Try an end around and buy the www.jerseyshoredoodles.net and www.jerseyshoredoodles.org domains and then forward them to your domain... also think of misspellings of www.jerseyshoredoodles.com and consider buying that domain and forwarding it to yours.
4. • CommentAuthorCoolCat7FL
   • CommentTimeOct 2nd 2007

    
   I would go to the us patent website or hire someone to help you "Trademark" or "ServiceMark" your company name ... once you get it OK'd or approved, contact google and tell them there is trademark issue and they will prevent your competitor from bidding on your trademark or servicemark. Also do some homework and find your state rules on DBA fictitious names; if your state only allows one name for the whole state, approach google and see if they will consider this the same as a trademark.
   
   If they are coming up above you on paid advertising (adwords) as opposed to organic listing, just bid more than them. (Best and quickest solution) If you've been doing this awhile, you have a good profit stream, so consider a bidding war with opponent and stay #1 and outbid them.
   
   Try an "end around" and buy the www.jerseyshoredoodles.net and www.jerseyshoredoodles.org domains and then "forward" them to your domain... also think of misspelling of www.jerseyshoredoodles.com and consider buying that domain and forwarding it to yours.
5. • CommentAuthorcookie
   • CommentTimeJan 28th 2008

    
   I read your post and can understand your concern. I need to express my feelings as well.. I purchased a beautiful goldendoodle this past summer from jerseySHOREdoodles,and am the proudest owner of a wonderful HEALTHY doodle. I took my doodle to the vet the very next day and the vet said she was completely healthy in every respect and even asked me where I got her because she was VERY CLEAN, HEALTHY,
   and SOCIALLY ADJUSTED. I also would like to inform you that the puppy's parents are indeed tested for congential hip and eye disorders and have a clean bill of health.
   
   
   Before deciding on purchasing a puppy I did extensive research on the breed and breeders local to my area. I visited other breeders prior to my decision on a breeder and found the quality of care and attention to the puppies' health and well being far superior at JerseySHOREdoodles. During my visit to JerseySHOREdoodles I was very pleased to find the puppies home reared, clean, and used to being handled. I was also able to see the parents of the puppies, the Dame was a pet treated as such and not a business tool. The puppies were playful, loved and treated to the run of the home. Truely loved members of the household, not 'for sale items'.
   
   Any concerns you have about JerseySHOREdoodle huritng your 'reputation' I feel are truly meirtless.
   
   As for the Google AdWords... Sounds like you were one day too late!!!
6. • CommentAuthorJerseydoodles
   • CommentTimeFeb 17th 2008

    
   While I appreciate your response, it isn't about being one day late on google, which btw, didn't give me anymore business. Nor is it about you getting a healthy dog. This is about her choosing a domain name that could be and IS being confused with mine. Wow, and of all the names out there, she took mine. This is about her riding on my coat tails instead of developing her own reputation under a different name. This is about someone who IS deceiving others and IS using a name very similar to mine so she could garner traffic away from my site to hers. Say what you want about your dog, but don’t for one minute kid yourself that her tactic is in any way, shape or form, ethical. And yes, my Lawyer is looking into trademark violations.
7. • CommentAuthorjosh
   • CommentTimeMar 12th 2008

    
   Although I can understand your frustrations with JerseyS***Doodles, I highly doubt that you can win your TM case without costing an arm and a leg.
   
   Why spend your energy and money on negative energy? Business has been, is, and will always be vicious. Please don't be offended, but I took a look at your website and the "other" doodle site, and I have to say they are both un-inspiring to say the least.
   
   Rather than pissing money on lawyers with zero likelihood of getting any value back, why not spend THAT money to re-design your site, optimize seo and grow organic traffic. She may have won the battle in terms of placing her ads higher than yours, but that is only a temporary setback. Page ranks and Ad ranks will change almost on a daily basis so don't fret over them to much.
   
   Instead of thinking tactically like your competitor, take a step back and come up with a solid strategy to win the war!
   
   How would you strategically go about differentiating YOUR brand recognition from other copycats?
   
   1. Word of mouth reputation
   2. Off-line marketing (e.g. mailers, coupons at local vets/pet salons, trade shows, etc).
   3. On-line marketing. Emphasize your STRENGTHS like being certified, etc. Your site just casually notes these as if they are not important. Do you want to place higher in Googe Adwords? Well, then budget a higher amount?
   
   I could go on and on, so you get the picture. Don't waste your time worrying about her. I am a true believer that what goes around comes around (eventually).
   
   Godspeed