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Swedish Regulators Ban Word "Bank" In Domain Names For Non-Banks

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the nanny-state-to-the-rescue dept.

It seems that Swedish regulators have decided to extend the requirement of not calling yourself a bank to the registration of domain names. Now anyone that tries to register a .SE domain name with the word "bank" in it will need to prove they are a legitimate bank. Hopefully there are no blood banks or anyone with the last name of "Banks" that might want a .SE domain. Here is a Google translation of the demand issued by the authorities to the .SE registry.

5 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. Re:So much for... by Hognoxious · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Or what if it's about the actor Douglas Fairbanks (senior/junior, take your pick) or boxer Chris Eubanks?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  2. Re:So much for... by mwvdlee · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Or any domain using any of these words:

    http://www.morewords.com/contains/bank/

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    Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
  3. company names by DaveGod · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When setting up a company in the UK your name is also restricted, though notably they do not include "bank" as sensitive, I assume in recognition of the variety of uses. The principle is a good one - people often assume an element of legitimacy to a limited company and assume they are somehow "approved". A limited company effectively makes a bargain with society: its investors enjoy limited liability but in return must conform to certain rules and make certain information public. Does any such bargain exist for domains?

  4. Re:Easier solution - *.bank.se by supernova_hq · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If it's illegal to register the site, the .se registrar will not register it.

    Your argument is as sound as "People will not buy vanity plates with obsceninites because it is illegal".

  5. Re:I guess no one RTFA by jgrahn · · Score: 2, Interesting

    They haven't banned the word bank. They've merely asked the registrar to highlight requests containing the word "bank" so that they can be checked for adherence to an existing law regarding portraying a company as a banking institution if it is not.

    Confirmed, in the original, untranslated PDF. They even point out (like a score of /.ers did) that the word "bank" has several meanings.