Naming a VPN is Harder Than You Think (A Tale of UnblockVPN and the Birth of Cicada®VPN)

Hey everyone, it’s me again, your friendly neighborhood VPN founder! Today, I want to share the saga of how we learned the hard way that naming a VPN is… well, harder than it looks. Buckle up, because this is a tale filled with trademark drama, naïve optimism, and a lot of “back to the drawing board” moments.

The First Attempt: UnblockVPN

When we first started brainstorming names for our VPN, we wanted something that made it super clear what we were all about: unblocking the internet. Simple, right? Enter: UnblockVPN. The name seemed like a no-brainer. It was direct, catchy, and reflected what we wanted to offer—a VPN that would break down those pesky barriers and let people access the content they wanted.

Naturally, the first thing we did was try to register unblockvpn.com… and surprise, surprise, it was already taken. Undeterred, we checked the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. No UnblockVPN in sight. At this point, we were feeling pretty confident. Sure, there was a US-based VPN called UnblockUs, but we naively thought, “Well, that’s not the same. We’re good, right?” (Spoiler: we were not good.)

The Trademark Saga Begins

Since we’re based in New Zealand, we figured, why not register the trademark in the UK? (At the time, the NZ trademark office wasn’t on the list of approved offices for Amazon, and we thought, one day we might want to offer our VPN on there.)

So, we submitted our application for UnblockVPN to the UK trademark office and crossed our fingers. We were already dreaming of that shiny new name being plastered across all our marketing materials. But, like all good adventures, reality soon knocked on the door.

A few weeks later, the London office sent us a polite but firm message: ‘Hey, we think you might want to withdraw your application. It’s a bit too close to another trademark, and the likelihood of a challenge is... let’s just say, non-zero.’ Translation: we were about to step into a legal minefield. And the worst part? Litigation = expensive and time-consuming. Neither of which we could afford as a small startup.

Back to the Drawing Board: Enter Cicada®

At this point, we had two options: fight an expensive legal battle over a name that wasn’t all that unique, or go back to brainstorming. (Spoiler again: we chose option two.) This time, we knew we had to be smarter. We needed a name that was well clear of anything that could remotely trigger a trademark challenge.

Of course, our friends all chimed in with, “Just pay for a patent lawyer to handle the process!” And honestly, if we were a big, funded startup with labs, team hoodies, and regular PJ parties (isn’t that what startup life is?), we totally would have. But the reality? We’re a Kiwi couple giving it a go with nothing more than blood, sweat, and way more tears than we’d like to admit. No fancy law firms, just grit and a lot of late-night Googling.

The Real Challenge: Finding a Name That Isn’t Taken… Anywhere

But here’s where things got really tricky: We needed to pick a name that was not only available as a .com domain but also wasn’t remotely close to anything registered under Class 38 (which covers telecommunications services) in London or any other major trademark office. Oh, and it couldn’t be active in any of the app stores or even similar to another business out there.

Doing this manually would have taken approximately 1,000 years (which we do not have), so we had to get creative. Enter: a friendly AI to help build the code. With this, we ran a programmatic check against 80,000 names, cross-referencing datasets, APIs, and AI sources to narrow it down to a list of 20.

Letting Our Tribe Decide

From that list of 20 names, we whittled it down even further and sent out a "pick your top 3" Google form to our friends and family (because, let’s face it, we needed a break from all the decision-making). And what did they pick? Cicada. It was perfect—a metaphor for how individuals acting together can be as powerful as a chorus of cicadas, loud enough to take back our right to privacy online.

After doing some soul-searching (and yet more coffee), we filed our trademark for Cicada®. The name was accepted without challenge and is now officially published. You can check out the official trademark details here: Cicada® Trademark. Our company, NETWORK SERVICES GROUP LIMITED out of New Zealand (company reg: 9429030383036), is finally clear to move forward!

The Power of Cicada®

Thanks to Class 38, not only can we offer Cicada® VPN, but we also have the ability to branch out with Cicada® AI and Cicada® Security—as long as we stick to telecommunications services, of course. It’s a name that’s not just about protecting your internet access, but about safeguarding privacy, building tools for digital security, and creating technology that helps us reclaim our rights in the ever-restrictive digital world.

Getting Set Up: Domain and Email

Once we settled on Cicada®, we immediately registered the domain CicadaVPN.com and set up email using Google Workspace. We chose Google Workspace because it’s DIY-friendly, fast to set up, and we’re counting on their spam filters to protect our accounts. Plus, being on Google’s email platform gives us hope that it will help keep us out of everyone’s spam boxes—a real win when you’re trying to build trust with your users.

Lessons Learned

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this whole process, it’s that naming a company is way more complex than it sounds. It’s not just about picking a cool, catchy name. You’ve got to make sure no one else has it, that it’s free of legal entanglements, and that it won’t trigger a lawsuit. So yeah, if you’re thinking of starting a business and you’re on the hunt for a name, do yourself a favor—double-check everything.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me through this little naming saga. If you’re on your own startup journey, remember: it’s not about how many times you go back to the drawing board, but how many times you come back with something even better. And if you need a VPN that’s ready to unblock the world (without any trademark drama), you know where to find us: CicadaVPN.

Cheers,
David Awatere
Founder (Accidentally) of CicadaVPN

P.S. It’s just us and a bit of Kiwi grit, so your support means the world (and probably a few more late-night coffees).