Apple files domain name dispute over AppleStores.com, UsedMacs.com

J.B. | October 31, 2011 | Comments (1)

Apple’s legal department has been keeping busy in 2011, filing a new domain name dispute with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) over five names which belong to the same owner: Wachter Consulting Inc.

A total of ten cases have been filed by Apple Inc in 2011 going back to January, when Apple filed a complaint over aplle.com and won.

The domains involved in the latest dispute (WIPO case number: D2011-1866) include: applestores.com, imacstore.com, macdaily.com, mactimes.com, and usedmacs.com.

Wachter Consulting Inc. owns over 6,000 domains including web addresses like LAClippers.com and VintCerf.com. The company has been a respondent in disputes in the past, which involved mercede.com and matériel.net. In both disputes, Wachter Consulting Inc. won.

This time however, it may prove difficult for Wachter Consulting to hold on to their ‘Apple’ names.

Apple has been having success all year long and in recent disputes, winning AppleiPods.com and iPods.com, among many notable web addresses it has filed complaints over.

Apple currently has three cases open with WIPO, which involve names like appleproductsonline.com, applebigdiscount.com, applesdiscount.com, applessales.com, and applestorewell.com.

One case it surprisingly hasn’t filed in 2011, is that of iPhone4S.com.

Apple fans expecting to learn more about the iPhone 4S, are currently greeted by a not-so-safe-for-work surprise when typing in the web address iPhone4S.com into their browser.

I wrote about the NSFW site back in mid July after a leaked photo of a rumored iPhone 4GS turned up on Weibo.

One would expect a domain dispute to follow soon.

(Photo of Apple Computer — Apple Store, Michigan Avenue (Chicago) via TonyTheTiger)

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