For those readers not so au fait with cybsquatting, the London law firm Kemp Little LLP has an article by Paul Garland that gives a good explanation of what it’s all about. The article begins:
Cybersquatting – the practice of registering internet domain names that are based on another entity’s brands or company name – is as prevalent as ever. As online business models have developed and converged, the cybersquatter’s methods have adapted accordingly. (Read more…)
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John Zuccarini, typosquatter extraordinaire, who used more than 5,500 copycat domain names to divert surfers from their intended Internet destinations to one of his sites, such as Bobthebiulder.com and teltubbies.com, and held them captive while he pelted their screens with a barrage of adult-oriented ads, has agreed to settle FTC charges that he was in contempt of a court order requiring him to halt the practices.
Under the new FTC order, Zuccarini must give up $164,000 in ill-gotten gains, conform to enhanced compliance and monitoring requirements, and transmit a copy of the new order to his probation officer. (Read more…)
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For the headbangers amongst us, acdc.com is no longer a porn site, but is now a website for the great heavy rockers. “ACDC.com is now serving its proper master and we assure you that the dirty deeds being done dirt cheap will now be of an entirely different variety,” the band stated. (Read more…)
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Michele Neylon writes on his blog, “The only UDRP decision that caught my attention this morning concerned Sony.”
As Michele notes, it’s not terrible exciting. I delved a little deeper and read the decision. The WIPO panel found the registrant of the domain name had no rights to the name, which isn’t very surprising really as it contained the trademarked term “sonyericsson” to which the registrant had no rights. Further, the panel found the respondent had never had any connection with Sony Ericsson or any of their entities. And the “disputed domain name resolves to a website offering discounted Sony Ericsson mobile phones, ringtones and accessories, as well as mobile phones offered by competitors. These appear in the form of “Sponsored links” which provide the owner of the domain name with revenue every time an Internet user clicks on these links.” (Read more…)
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Pennsylvania has a proposal to ban cybersquatting. The proposal follows Republican Jason Gherghel’s decision to register various combinations domain names of his opponent, Melinda Kantner, prompting the bill, says the state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-Schuylkill. (Read more…)
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Forbes writes of a dispute between eBay with sales of US$1.8 billion per year, and Perfume Bay, an online fragrance retailer with annual sales $17 million. eBay is protesting against Perfume Bay’s use of the word “bay” and “are making sure that Perfume Bay cannot be confused with eBay in any way and that customers are clear that if they purchase something off of Perfume Bay, they are not protected in any way by the consumer protection programs eBay has in place,” says Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman. (Read more…)
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Occurrences of cybersquatting are growing, fuelled largely by the availability of inexpensive domain names says Janna Lam, managing director of Singapore-based IP Mirror, in an interview with ZDNet Asia.
Cybersquatting in Asia is growing and catching up to levels in other parts of the world. “The main cause [for this growth] is the low prices of Internet domain names.” (Read more…)
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Bodog was stripped of its domain names in courts in Nevada and Washington as part of patent disputes, as well as being ordered to pay millions of dollars in fines plus demanding the Antigua-based Ayre testify in the United States in October about his company’s assets according to this article in Canadian Business. (Read more…)
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INTA joins the fight against Internet practices that defraud consumers and target organizations conducting business online
The International Trademark Association (INTA) issued a warning on behalf of its members to the public, alerting them to the growing threat of domain name cybersquatters who deliberately mislead consumers and defraud online businesses. (Read more…)
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Facebook has won a domain dispute against Privacy Ltd. Disclosed Agent for YOLAPT, a business from the Isle of Man. The disputed domain name . The domain was registered in October 2004 and “provides, inter alia, advertising for and links to other commercial websites offering social networking and information services.” (Read more…)
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Cybersquatters, predicatbly, have beaten Apple again to key domain names relating to the iPhone prior to its launch in the UK. And even prior to the announcement. According to a report in UTalkMarketing.com, cybersquatters have been busily registering domain names relating to the iPhone and the telco.
The report notes one cybersquatter has been particularly busy in recent months, registering domains such as O2iphone.co.uk, O2iphone.net and orangeiphone.co.uk. Other examples of domain names to be registered include ukiphone.co.uk, tmobileiphone.com, 02iphone.co.uk, and iphonevodafone.co.uk. (Read more…)
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Samsung, the South Korean electronics company, is embroiled in a court battle over the domain name sens.co.kr with a small local food supply company, whose name has been withheld, reports AFP.
An earlier court decision said the domain name should be transferred to Samsung, however the company is appealing this decision. (Read more…)
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Another report from CMS Cameron McKenna’s Law-Now group. This 130 page report includes a reference guide providing a country-by-country perspective for 15 European countries and is available for free download from the Law-Now website, although registration may be required. The introduction to the report is as follows:
Trade marks are essential for building business reputations in the modern business world. They enable customers to identify goods and services and develop brand loyalty. Trade marks also strengthen the effectiveness of advertising. Over time, trade marks develop their own brand identity independent of the goods and services they promote. This is particularly relevant as trade marks are increasingly promoted and used in modern media, such as the Internet.
(Read more…)
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The CMS Cameron McKenna Technology Annual Review is now available to download. The Technology Annual Review summarises some of the most important (and, they hope, interesting) technology related legal news from 2006. It contains short and easy to read news updates on computer crime, spam, copyright in computer games, domain names, ID cards, internet libel and defamation, email signatures, things that are grossly offensive, software patents, eBay, Google, nude sunbathers, and much much more.
(Read more…)
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McGrady on Domain Names Provides Attorneys with Indispensable Information at Their Fingertips, Reduces Tedious Searching
LexisNexis, a leading provider of information and services solutions, today announced the release of McGrady on Domain Names: A Global Guide to Disputes, Registration, and Maintenance – a new, practical online and print resource for attorneys advising clients on issues and problems involving domain names worldwide.
This new publication is authored by Paul D. McGrady, Jr., a shareholder in the Chicago office of Greenberg Traurig, LLP who specializes in intellectual property and information technology counsel. Available at the LexisNexis online bookstore, the new volume provides an essential resource for attorneys representing brand owners, parties opposing brand owners, registrars, registries and ancillary service providers in the domain name industry. The publication contains critical domain name data from around the globe and all available data for every country, in a consistently organized format. McGrady on Domain Names also identifies areas where no information is yet available, providing thousands of direct links to domain registries and related websites where legal practitioners can find and examine developments as soon as new information becomes available. (Read more…)
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