Domain name ruling favors small businesses.
Published:
16 September 1999 y., Thursday
In a significant win for small businesses on the Net, a federal judge has ruled that a registered trademark, even when held by a well-known company, does not automatically entitle its holder to
own the corresponding domain name. The decision, made public last weekend, is a major win for a single-employee consulting firm called Clue Computing, which owns the domain name Clue.com.
Hasbro, the multibillion-dollar toy maker and manufacturer of the mystery board game Clue, claimed rights to the Net address in a costly legal battle launched more than three years ago. The
decisions run contrary to common perceptions that a trademark held by one group automatically trumps a rival_s rights to own the corresponding domain name. They come as a division within the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)-the nonprofit that oversees the Net_s core functions--is forging a new policy to resolve disputes over domain names. The decisions demonstrate just how difficult it is to balance the rights of small domain name owners and those of large trademark holders.
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Software company announced new structure_ of it_s business.
more »
With Apple Computer's next iMac expected to be unveiled as soon as next week, Mac fan sites are buzzing with speculation over the design
more »
Like many of the major IT players, Veritas has stepped up its presence in China courtesy of a separate corporate entity in the country and a new development center
more »
China will improve its long-term mechanism to combat Internet pornography, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Information Industry here Thursday
more »
search.lt presents newest links
more »
Although Microsoft recommends that consumers turn on Automatic Update to get the latest version of Windows, the company is offering to let companies temporarily block such upgrades
more »
Benefits not enough to warrant a major shift in platform strategy, finds report
more »
HP is acquiring IT services provider Synstar for $297 million in cash to shore up its overseas presence as it battles IBM's Global Services division
more »
Cell phone makers plan to release so-called Wi-Fi phones ahead of schedule
more »
TCC Teleplex chief Dennis Novick says pay phones with high-speed Net connections in New York City are only the start of its plans
more »
New software modeling systems are breaking out of academia and making their way into Microsoft's product pipeline, the company's chairman said Thursday
more »