EMAIL RECCEIVED ON 05/03/2001 Subj: Improper Use of the REALTOR Mark -- realtor718.com Date: 5/3/01 11:00:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: scollins@realtors.org To: nickproios@aol.com Dear Mr. Proios: It has been brought to our attention that you have registered and are using the realtor718.com domain name on the Internet. The terms REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®, as well as the REALTOR block "R" logo®, are all federally registered collective membership marks owned exclusively by the National Association. Collective membership marks are a type of trademark which, rather than indicating the source of a product or service, identify the user of the membership mark as a member of a particular group, in this case the National Association. The National Association has approximately 760,000 members each of whom is licensed to use one or more of the membership marks to identify themselves and their real estate businesses. To accomplish this in an orderly manner, the National Association has developed a comprehensive set of rules governing the proper use of the membership marks by members. These rules apply not only in the print world, but also in the new electronic media. Your use of the REALTOR® mark in the realtor718.com domain name violates the rules of the National Association. Remember, the REALTOR® marks indicate membership in the National Association, the marks do not indicate a person's occupation such as real estate agent/broker. Only persons can be members of the National Association. Therefore, in a domain name, the National Association only allows its members to use the REALTOR® marks in front of or behind a member's name (i.e., realtorjohndoe.com, johndoerealtor.com) and behind the complete name of a broker's company (i.e., abccompanyrealtors.com). By using the REALTOR® mark with "718", you are falsely advertising to the public that "718" is a member of the National Association. Accordingly, we request that you stop use of the realtor718.com domain name on the Internet and on all promotional and advertising materials for your business and that you register and use a new REALTOR® domain name which conforms to the rules of the National Association. The rules governing the way in which members can use the REALTOR® marks are published in our Membership Marks Manual which is located on our members-only www.onerealtorplace.com web-site. The Manual can be found by searching on the term "trademark". Finally, just for your information, if you intend to sell the realtor718.com domain name, it is your legal responsibility to inform the purchaser of the domain name that the National Association will prohibit use of the name on the Internet. Please acknowledge your receipt and understanding of this message. Also, so that we can close our legal files on this matter, please let me know when we should verify that the realtor718.com domain name has been removed from the Internet. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and we look forward to receiving your response. Sandra A. Collins Trademark Administrator -- Legal Affairs Department National Association of REALTORS® 430 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60611-4087 312.329.8380

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