Category: News
Google goes after YouTube typo domains that it didn’t win in a previous dispute
Google has been going after popular typos of the web address YouTube.com in recent months and it’s been having its share of success in disputes, winning five typo domain names in early January and several more later that month in another case that also involved Google typo domains.
However, in a separate complaint (Case No. 1413915) that reached a decision in late December 2011, Google only batted .740, as reported by Domain Name Wire.
In that case, Google won rights to 37 typo domain names, but lost its claim to 13 infringing domain names like YouTune.com because the Panelist found that the 13 domains were registered prior to the trademark filings with the USPTO of January 30, 2006. As Domain Name Wire pointed out, it appears Google got screwed. “The first use in commerce date on the trademark is April 24, 2005, which predates the 13 additional domain registrations.”
Google hasn’t given up hope on winning those 13 domains.
According to a new filing (Case No. 1428476) with the National Arbitration Forum this week, Google is once again going after: tyoutube.com, youstube.com, youtbue.com, youttube.com, youtubenaruto.com, youtubr.com, youtubube.com, youtubve.com, youtune.com, yoututbe.com, youtuube.com, youyube.com, and yutub.com.
As with all domain disputes, each Panel examines three elements before reaching a decision.
(1) is the domain name identical or confusingly similar to a trademark in which the complainant has rights
(2) the owner has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name and;
(3) the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
If all three elements are satisfied, then the domain names will finally be ordered transferred to Google.
Each of the typo domains named in Google’s latest complaint, send visitors to an online survey scam (as shown in the picture above of YouTune.com), that asks a series of questions and attempts to gather personal information by promising free gifts like an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2.
Discussion: The Next Web
Linsanity dot-com website changes from selling Lin apparel to Coming Soon page
It looks like Andrew Slayton who coached Jeremy Lin at Palo Alto High School in California and who registered the domain Linsanity.com in 2010, has opted to stop selling Lin-related apparel on the Linsanity.com website.
As of today, instead of seeing t-shirts for sale with sayings like “Lin Your Face #17″ like seen in the Google cache snapshot above, people going to Linsanity.com will be greeted by nothing more than a “Coming Soon” page.
What appears to have prompted Andrew Slayton to take down the site is the potential for legal problems.
As a number of sites reported earlier this month, Andrew Slayton also filed to trademark (Serial Number: 85537764) the word “Linsanity” for athletic apparel — namely, shirts, pants, jackets, footwear, hats and caps, and athletic uniforms.
But this week, Jeremy Lin filed to trademark both “Linsanity” (Serial Number: 85541426) and his own name “Jeremy Lin” (Serial Number: 85541428).
Jeremy’s own filings cover a much wider range of goods and services.
According to Whois records, Andrew Slayton is still the owner of Linsanity.com.
I’ve reached out to Andrew via e-mail to find out more information and will update this post if I hear back.
[Update 1 on February 20, 2012: Andrew Slayton has unveiled a new look on Linsanity.com that no longer sells Lin-related merchandise.]
Ubisoft registers Ghost Recon Network domains ahead of Online Beta
Does Ubisoft have something more in store for Ghost Recon?
On February 15, 2012, Ubisoft Entertainment registered three new “Ghost Recon Network” domain names like GhostReconNetwork.com.
The registrations include:
http://whois.domaintools.com/ghost-recon-network.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/ghostrecon-network.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/ghostreconnetwork.com
At the time of this story, the web addresses are nothing more than a parked page on Gandi.net, the registrar where the names were purchased.
The domain names could have something to do with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online.
The free-to-play game is expected to start closed beta in early March.
Microsoft registers KillmsnNOW and other anti-msnNOW domain names
Earlier this week, Microsoft launched a new site called msnNOW, which serves up the most interesting trends from real-time sources like Twitter.
The site’s launch was followed by the registration of over a dozen anti-msnNOW domains like BiteMemsnNOW.com, msnNOWblows.com and some other names that contain more profane language.
Following is the list of domains registered on February 16, 2012, through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.
bitememsnnow.com
blowmemsnnow.com
fuckmsnnow.com
ihatemsnnow.com
ihatemsnnow.net
killmsnnow.com
killmsnnow.net
msnnowbites.com
msnnowblows.com
msnnowcrap.com
msnnowporn.com
msnnowshit.com
msnnowsucks.com
msnnowsux.com
msnnowxxx.com
screwmsnnow.com
Here’s a look at the Whois record for KillmsnNOW.com.
Microsoft files trademark for “Avatar Famestar” for video game services
It appears Microsoft is working on something new for the Xbox called “Avatar Famestar” according to a recent trademark filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
On February 13, 2012, filed to trademark “Avatar Famestar”.
The goods and services covered in the trademark filing (Serial Number: 85541451) cover “Downloadable software for video game services” and “Providing an online portal for video game services and social networking”.
As of today, Microsoft has made no announcement as to its plans for “Avatar Famestar”.
Last year, Microsoft released Avatar Kinect, which lets your personalized avatar interact with or hang out with up to seven other friends in 24 virtual stages ranging from a late-night talk show set to outer space to a sports tailgate party.
[Update 1 on Feb. 18, 2012 5:41am: A resident of China is cybersquatting on the domain name AvatarFamestar.com. The name was registered shortly after this story went online.]
Discussion: Joystiq
Virgin mogul Richard Branson wins disputed dot-XXX domain name
Business magnate Richard Branson filed a complaint (Case Number: 1423689) over the domain name RichardBranson.xxx with the National Arbitration Forum in January.
Now a single-member panel has ordered the name transferred to Richard Branson, having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy.
First, the domain name is identical to the RICHARD BRANSON mark. Second, the respondent lacked rights and interests in the disputed domain name. And lastly, the domain name was registered and used in bad faith.
“As an additional independent ground demonstrating bad faith and as discussed above with regard to “rights and interests,” Respondent apparently registered the at-issue domain name even though he does not qualify to register a domain name on the .XXX register,” wrote Paul M. DeCicco, Panelist.
The full details of the ruling have been released and can be read online here.
There are now several UDRP cases involving dot-xxx domain names since the domain went public.
The list of cases that are active as of today include: baylorgirls.xxx, utsystem.xxx, femjoy.xxx, kayjewelers.xxx, finansbank.xxx, foxstudios.xxx, borcelik.xxx, borusanholding.xxx, denizbank.xxx, valero.xxx and markafoni.xxx.
(Image of Richard Branson via Virgin.com)
UPDATED: Google may be officially launching Rater Hub
Back in 2005, Henk van Ess wrote about the Google Rater Hub, a somewhat secretive program at the time that had people review and rate the quality of Google’s search results.
Well, now it looks like the Rater Hub program will soon have a more public home on the web with the registration of the domain raterhub.com earlier this week by Google.
Typing the web address today, takes you to a Google 404 page that says, “The requested URL / was not found on this server. That’s all we know.”
404 pages on Google’s network can be a good sign that something is happening out at Google.
Paying people to review and rate search results at Google is nothing new and the very topic was recently in the news.
In January, Matt McGee published a detailed interview online with a Google Search Quality Rater, after a contractor contacted Search Engine Land wanting to explain and clarify some of the things that had been written and said about the program.
While Google hires contractors to do the job, it’s possible it may be doing more.
The search engine giant registered the domain name raterhub.com (Whois) through MarkMonitor on February 13, 2012, which surprisingly had never been registered before.
In the past few days, the name transferred from MarkMonitor’s name server to Google.
Given the purchase of the domain, name server changes and the recent news, we could expect to see something soon on RaterHub.com.
[Update 1 on February 22, 2012: In the past 24 hours, a sign in page has gone online using Google Accounts, as shown in the snapshot below. The message reads, "Google is not affiliated with the contents of Ewok2 Rater Hub or its owners." It appears Rater Hub is a third party service, not operated by Google.]
Discussion: Search Engine Land
Baylor University files a complaint over BaylorGirls XXX domain name
Several colleges bought up .XXX domain names last year like mizzou.xxx as a defensive measure to prevent others from registering the names and possibly setting up porn sites.
Now Baylor University, a school that has filed and won dozens of domain disputes over names like Baylor.com and BaylorUniversity.com, has officially filed a complaint (Case No. 1429318) with the National Arbitration Forum over the domain name BaylorGirls.xxx.
BaylorGirls.xxx (which does not resolve to a web page) was first registered on December 10, 2011, by a resident of Massachusetts, according to Whois records, just days after general availability of .XXX domain names began.
The names can now be registered on a first come, first served basis.
To date, a dozen disputes, including RichardBranson.xxx and FoxStudios.xxx, have been filed over .XXX domain names with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Arbitration Forum. Only one ruling has been made so far. On February 7, 2012, Panelist Darryl Wilson ordered heb.xxx transferred to HEB Grocery Company, L.P.
Baylor doesn’t appear to be the first college-related XXX domain dispute on record.
Last week, it appears The University of Texas System which owns UTsystem.com (Whois), filed a complaint (Case No. 1428670) over the domain name UTSystem.xxx.
Because the National Arbitration Forum doesn’t publicly identify complainants on its website until a Panel has issued a ruling, the official complainant over BaylorGirls.xxx isn’t immediately known.
However, given Baylor University’s track record with the National Arbitration Forum, it’s a sure bet that Baylor is the complainant.
[Update 1 on February 18, 2012: It appears Baylor University has got its hands on BaylorGirls.com according to Whois records. The name was transferred to trademark law firm Pirkey Barber LLP this week.]
Could the new Barnes & Noble Nook be called the Nook Glow or Nook Shine?
Late last month, it was reported that Barnes & Noble would be introducing a new Nook this spring.
Although very little is known about the successor to the Nook Tablet, some interesting domain names were privately registered on February 13, 2012 with CSC Global, a company that helps protect many of the world’s best global brands in part by registering and managing thousands of domain names.
The domains registered were NookGlow.com (Whois) and NookShine.com (Whois).
Additional names that were registered on the same day include: NookUniverse.com, NookTabletPen.com, and TheNookTabletPen.com.
The names currently resolve to a blank web page at the time of this story.
While the registrant of each domain is listed as Corporation Service Company, it’s pretty safe to say that Barnes & Noble is behind each name, as CSC specializes in domain, trademark, and brand services.
For now though, the name of the next Nook device will remain speculation until Barnes & Noble makes an official announcement.
Discussion: gadgetell
(Image of Jane Lynch holding Nook Tablet via BarnesandNoble.com)
Apple.com domain name will celebrate its 25th Anniversary this month
On February 19th, the domain name Apple.com will celebrate its 25th Anniversary.
The domain was created on February 19th, 1987, nearly two years after the first and oldest .com domain name on the internet “Symbolics.com” was registered, and just over ten years after Apple Inc. was founded.
Today, Apple.com is one of the most visited sites on the internet, ranking in the top 50 sites of the world, according to Alexa.
Apple hasn’t announced anything about the upcoming anniversary, so it’s not certain whether the company will be holding any kind of celebration.
Other domain names like Unisys.com, which was registered on December 11, 1986, have recently celebrated their 25th birthday without much fanfare.
Apple.com ranks at #64 in the Top 100 oldest registered .com domains.
Other domains owned by well-known companies that will celebrate their 25th anniversary this year include: cisco.com, dupont.com, and lockheed.com.
A full list of the top 100 oldest domain names can be seen on iWhois.
