Slashdot Mirror
'.Info' Domain Tightens Trademark Rules
axlrosen points to an article on digitalmass.com, excerpting: "'The company that manages the new ".info" Internet domain said on Wednesday it would tighten up registration rules as it prepared to challenge the validity of one out of every five names registered in a special preregistration period.'"
Forget it. Checking every single registered URL is a huge undertaking and Afilias is just asking for lawsuits.
.com, you aren't anywhere.
If I register coke.info, I expect to be allowed to post info about the dangers of cocaine without interference from some knowitall domain admin.
Besides, if you aren't on a
I noticed this headlined on their tech page, (login, blah) but I cant get interested enough to go read it. Color me sardonic.
Fight Spammers!
From the article:
.info Internet suffix joined .com, .net and other established "top level" domains this fall, said it would modify its rules to ensure that disputed domains could only be awarded to legitimate trademark holders.
.info TLD doesn't insinuate (at least to me) any sort of commercial aspect of the site. Rather, .com is where I would expect 'com'mercial websites to belong, just as .edu is where I'd look for places of 'edu'cation.
Domain manager Afilias, whose
In your example Playboy would have to show that it has the copyright on 'sex'. While it may have a significant mindshare of that word, it in no way has it trademarked. However, it is also unlikely that 'sex' would be some company's trademark, just as 'sports', 'finance', or 'tables' wouldn't likely be trademarked by any company.
In my example Coca Cola Bottling Company definitely holds the trademark for 'Coke'. However, I would be stripped of my URL by Coca Cola for running a website that gave info about cocaine because I am not the trademark owner of 'Coke'.
That is what seems unfair. An
Illstickwithmycurentlongnametopreventlametrademark abuse.com
--- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.
In my informed opinion: When Afilias said, they would "tighten up registration rules" - it is what the should have been doing in the first instance.
;-)
They did not check domain name matched trademark, nor trademark date. It looks like the only thing they checked was the VISA card
This was not just incompetence, any trainee programmer knows you have to validate data entry from user.
They had much time time to plan and did not set up any simple checks. Let alone get something in place to validate trademark, to see if registrant owned mark.
They wanted these fraudulent registrations, to get maximum profits.
They went into detail setting this up, with more help than just a trainee programmer - did they not?
Less validation = more registrations = more profit + recover fraud registrations = second Landrush = greater profits still.
The Sunrise Period is bull* propaganda idea anyway.
The authorities have been using lies and propaganda; As example, ask them to deny this:
THOUSANDs of new open TLDs will not solve any problem - even if every one has 'Sunrise Period'
It will not solve 'consumer confusion', 'trademark conflict' or stop anybody 'passing off'.
Also, as an example on Sunrise, thousands of trademarks using word 'Apple' have no guarantee of being able to use name.
Apple computers will still protect and make claim to every Apple.[anything] - even though they share word with 727 others in the USA alone (plus all those in 200+ countries).
I have been talking to US and UK authorities about this. They know the solution to trademark and domain problem - a restricted TLD to replace the trademark symbol. The solution was ratified by honest attorneys - including the honourable G. Gervaise Davis III, UN WIPO panelist judge.
For the TM lawyers - yes, I know about classifications. Please visit WIPO.org.uk - nothing to do with UN WIPO.org.
Hmmm... I was just wondering, I registered slashdot.info for the fun of it, I don't think it is trademarked but if it is what then?
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson
www.haidacarver.com