News about domain names
These days, domain names are just as important as trademarks. With a domain name, you create your own unique place on the internet and increase your reach among your target audience. Although domain names have no formal legal status in some jurisdictions, such as the Netherlands, the right to a domain name is still usually considered from the perspective of trademark law. This means that as the owner of a trademark you can take action against infringement and enlist protection to strengthen your position. With a domain name you claim, as it were, your own position on the internet; therefore, it is a good idea to closely follow developments in this field.
Annual report on intellectual property enforcement
The White House recently issued its Annual Report on Intellectual Property Enforcement. The text reaffirms Obama’s stance on SOPA: that IP protection is necessary, but the bill went too far. The 130-page document outlined the administration’s achievements in and strategies for protecting intellectual property in 2011 (including a lot of material on fake online pharmacies).
Big Ikea’s victory
The Dutch company Inter Ikea Systems B.V., the owner and worldwide franchisor of the famous IKEA concept and trademarks, has won a Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP) over the domain name ‘ikealittle.com’. Last year Inter Ikea Systems won 17 UDRP cases, this case is the first success in 2012.
France and Guatemala launch IDNs
In May 2012 AFNIC, the official French Network Information Centre, will launch internationalized domain names (IDN) under .fr (France), as well as under the domains for the French Territories. The Guatemalan registry will simultaneously launch both IDNs and second-level domains (e.g. name.gt) beginning in March 2012. Also, registrations under .tf (French Southern Territories) are now open to any..
Changes in .pt registration & other domain news
As of the 1st of May 2012, changes in the registration possibilities for the Portuguese country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) .pt will take effect. The .com TLD continues to be the most popular domain name extension around the world. The .nl extension is currently ranked at the third place among more than 250 country code domain names worldwide.
MGM Resorts wins in domain name arbitration
An arbitrator with the National Arbitration Forum - the international dispute resolution provider for domain name disputes - has awarded MGM Resorts International two domain names: Belaggio.com and Mandalabay.com. MGM Resorts submitted a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum on January 3, 2012, asserting legal rights over the two dispute domain names. MGM Resort owns many trademark..
New domain name launches: .cp6 and .jp.net
Two new domain name extensions have recently been launched. ICANN assigned .срб (.srb written in Serbian Cyrillic script) as the new internationalized ‘country code top-level domain’ (ccTLD) to the Serbian Registry of Internet Domain Names. The other new extension, .jp.net, is an unofficial extension run by the private company CentralNIC and is not affiliated with or guaranteed by the..
Domain name dispute over richardbranson.xxx
Virgin is attempting to gain control of the domain name richardbranson.xxx. The company took the action after an individual unconnected with the company registered the name. "We have a complaint against the owner of richardbranson.xxx," a Virgin spokesman said.
New gTLD applications start as planned at January the 12th
This Thursday, 12 January 2012, the 90 day application window for the new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) opens at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Just about any public or private organization anywhere in the world may - under strict conditions - apply to create a new top-level domain of their choice and therefore Internet addresses will be able to end with..
Update new gTLDs
On June 20, 2011, ICANN's Board of Directors has approved a plan to usher in one of the biggest changes ever to the Internet's Domain Name System. They approved a plan to dramatically increase the number of Internet domain name endings (called generic top-level domains gTLDs) from the current 22, which includes such familiar domains as .com, .org and .net. Companies and organizations essentially..
Short update on Qatar, Russia and Kazakhstan domains
Regarding the re-launch of registration under .qa, the extension for Qatar, General Availability has now begun. Registration is unrestricted and domains will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Disclaimer: This bulletin contains information received from third parties. We believe the above information to be correct, but Novagraaf and its partners are not responsible for errors in this bulletin.
