Latest UDRP Stupidity: Unix.org, Canadian.biz

The Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure, an expedited process for allowing corporations to steal domain names, continues to be abused as arbitrators stretch the definitions of "cyber-squatting" to any length in order to find for the corporate complainants. Lunenburg writes "Unix.Org, a site that was apparently used for noncommercial discussion of Unix(tm) operating systems, has been ruled a "cybersquatter" by a WIPO panel and given to the X/Open group. In spite of not actually matching any cybersquatting criteria, a WIPO panelist felt that by providing links to commercial sites, Unix.ORG was acting in "bad faith" and thus should be given over to the Open group." And WEFUNK writes "Exploiting an obvious technical error to help build their case, Molson Inc. has been awarded the seemingly generic canadian.biz domain from the original owner who "registered this name because I am Canadian and want to develop a Canadian business directory" and is now appealing to the courts." John Gilmore has a bit of commentary.

Comments

anybody want to claim mine?

[DrSkwid]

the one and only

and http://www.fuckyou.co.uk is already taken too but provides free webmail (in exchange for spam)

Re:What if you don't speak English?

[gilroy]

Blockquoth the poster:

You realize ".tm" would only be meaningful to people who use the English word "Trademark" don't you?

You realize that ".com", ".mil", ".org", ".net", and ".gov" derive from the English words "commercial", "military", "organization", "network", and "government"? And thus would "only be meaningful" to people who use English? I guess that Internet thingy will never take off until this linguistic imperialism is overthrown.

English is spoken by more people on the planet than any other language. (Before the flames: Not necessarily as a first language.) It is the language which politics, coincidence, and synchronicity has placed at the base of the Internet. I don't see why an English word is a priori wrong, and I certainly don't understand what you imagine to use in place of it.

On the other hand, the Vatican just had all its ATM machines reworded into Latin, so...