Tag: "apple"

Apple files dispute over iPhone5.com domain name [UPDATED]

J.B. | May 6, 2012 | Comments (7)

Apple is planning ahead for the release of the next iPhone by filing a complaint (Case number: D2012-0951) with the World Intellectual Property Organization over iPhone5.com. The domain dispute popped up on WIPO’s website this week.

Anyone who visits the website of iPhone5.com today will be greeted by smart phone advertisements and online forums discussing the iPhone 5.

Although Apple has been known to open its wallet to acquire domain names, in the past year it has selected to go the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) route. And it’s had a lot of success.

The company secured rights to iphone4s.com, iphoneporn4s.com, iphonesex4s.com, iphonexxxforce.com, iphone4s.com and other domains that were being used by an adult website operator, after filing a similar dispute with WIPO.

But, that’s not all.

Apple has won disputes over applesales.com, appleproductsonline.com, appleipods.com, and even ipods.com, just to name a few.

In mid-July 2011, Apple acquired the domain names iPhone4.com and WhiteiPhone.com for an undisclosed amount, opting to pay for the domain names.

In the years to come, expect to see more iPhone domain disputes. At the time of this story, Apple doesn’t own iPhone6.com, iPhone7.com, iPhone8.com, iPhone9.com, iPhone10.com — you get the idea.

[Update 2 on May 13, 2012:. According to Whois records, Apple has taken ownership of the domain iPhone5.com through the brand protection agency Corporation Service Company.]

[Update 1 at 6:48 PM Est:. In an interesting little twist, there are now two new discussion threads on iPhone5.com that discuss Apple going after the domain name. One thread is called HELP US FIGHT. The second thread includes a poll that asks whether Apple should be able to take control of iPhone5.com.]

Talking about this story: Mashable, ComputerWorld, The Register, Macworld, WebProNews, Red Orbit, PC Mag, Gotta Be Mobile, MacRumors, Apple Insider, VentureBeat, AppAdvice, Apple Bitch, Cult of Mac, The Mac Observer, Silicon News, iClarified, Inrumor, Gotta Be Mobile, International Business Times, Huffington Post, Afterdawn and Business Insider

(Image of iPhone 4 via Apple.com)

Apple registers iPhone4N.com domain?

J.B. | May 3, 2012 | Comments (1)

Update 1 at 5:24AM EST:. After I posted this story, MacRumors pointed out that the iPhone4N.com Whois record raises questions as to whether Apple is really behind the registration. First, the registrar used was Go Daddy, not MarkMonitor (Apple’s usual choice). Guess we’ll have to wait and see if anything official is announced.

Original Story: Apple released the iPhone 4 in 2010 and the iPhone 4S in 2011. Now, all the talk is about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5. But Apple did make an interesting domain name purchase this week: iPhone4N.com.

According to Whois records, Apple registered the domain on May 1, 2012.

It’s unknown why the company registered the domain name.

It may be nothing more than a defensive tactic to protect its intellectual property, except, a number of iPhone 4 variations like iPhone4Q.com and iPhone4W.com are still available for anyone to register at the time of this story.

Apple already owns the domains iPhone.com, iPhone4.com and iPhone4S.com. Apple got its hands on iPhone4S.com after filing a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization. Back in July 2011, Apple acquired iPhone4.com for an unknown amount of money. The company acquired the domain iPhone.com for an undisclosed amount in 2007. It’s rumored Apple paid over $1 million to acquire the name.

Talking about this story: BillHartzer.com

(Image of iPhone 4S via Apple.com)

Crowdstar working on next unannounced game called Modern Girl [UPDATED]

J.B. | February 10, 2012 | Comments (0)

[UPDATED:. Crowdstar released Modern Girl on March 6, 2012.]

**

Original story:

Mobile social gaming company Crowdstar appears to be working on its next iOS ”Girl” game called Modern Girl.

In a filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 6, 2012, Crowdstar Inc. filed to trademark “Modern Girl by Crowdstar”.

The goods and services covered in the trademark filing (Serial Number: 85534912) include:

Downloadable computer game software for use on wireless devices and computers; computer-game software, video game software, and computer game application software; interactive-video-game programs; electronic game software and electronic game application software that may be accessed via the Internet, computers and wireless devices; computer software to enable uploading, posting, showing, displaying, tagging, blogging, sharing or otherwise providing electronic media or information regarding the fields of virtual communities, electronic gaming, entertainment and general interest via the Internet or other communications networks with third parties

Crowdstar’s Social Girl which launched in December 2011, snagged a million downloads in its first week of going live.

At the time of this story, Crowdstar has made no announcement about Modern Girl.

The trademark filing for Modern Girl comes at a peculiar time. The same week Crowdstar submitted the application, Apple warned developers not to manipulate App Store rankings.

Apple secures SteveJobs.xxx domain

J.B. | January 18, 2012 | Comments (0)

Apple has secured the dot-xxx adult domain SteveJobs.xxx (Whois), preventing anyone else from using the name of the company’s late co-founder.

This week, Apple officially took control of the domain through the registrar Corporation Service Company (CSC), a company that helps protect many of the world’s most valuable brands and patrols the internet for incidences of brand abuse.

The acquisition of SteveJobs.xxx comes the same week the company officially revealed itself as the owner of RememberingSteve.com, a web address that has been re-directing to Apple’s online memorial since early October when Steve Jobs passed away.

Apple has owned RememberingSteveJobs.com for months and now the Whois record for RememberingSteve.com shows Apple as the registrant.

Surprisingly, to this day Apple does not own the web addresses of Steve Jobs in dotcom, dotnet, or dotorg. SteveJobs.com is owned by a resident of South Korea according to Whois records, while the dotnet is owned by the company InternetWebDesign.com Inc.

SteveJobs.org is up for sale by its owner, who also owns SteveJobs.es.

(Image of Steve Jobs unveiling Apple products in Sept. 2010 via Apple.com)

Apple begins redirecting iPhone4S.com to official site in time for Cyber Monday

J.B. | November 29, 2011 | Comments (0)

I first wrote about iPhone4S.com pointing users to adult content back in July 2011 when it was rumored that the iPhone 4 at the time, would get an upgrade to a new smartphone called the iPhone 4S.

But it was nearly four months later, before Apple decided to go after the owner of the domain by filing a complaint (Case No. D2011-1897) at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Last week the case was terminated before a panel reached a decision, after the owner agreed to turn over iPhone4S.com, as well as several other names that also redirected users to adult content.

The list of domains identified in the complaint (all owned by the same company) included: iphonecamforce.com, iphonecam4s.com, iphoneporn4s.com, iphonesex4s.com, iphonexxxforce.com, iphone4s.com, porn4iphones.com, and sex4iphones.com.

Luckily for holiday shoppers, Apple got control of the web address and started redirecting users to its official website (as shown in the picture above) on Cyber Monday, which is expected to be the biggest day of online spending in 2011.

Apple’s IP lawyers get control of domains like UsedMacs.com before case decided

J.B. | November 8, 2011 | Comments (0)

Just over a week ago, Apple Computer filed a domain name dispute with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) over five names registered to Wachter Consulting Inc.

Four of the five domains named in WIPO case number D2011-1866, have now been transferred from Wachter Consulting Inc. to Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, a law firm that has successfully represented Apple in the past in dozens of patent and trademark infringement cases.

The domains that were transferred to Apple’s name servers include imacstore.com, macdaily.com, mactimes.com, and usedmacs.com.

It appears the best of the bunch, applestores.com, is still in the possession of Wachter Consulting, according to WHOIS records.

Although the case is still listed as ‘Active’ online with WIPO, it’s possible Wachter Consulting decided to turn over the names even before a decision was handed down.

Chances are the case will remain ‘Active’ until all of the names have been transferred, voluntarily or otherwise.

[Updated November 10, 2011 3:19am EST: Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton has now taken ownership of AppleStores.com. The law firm also took ownership of アップルストア.com ('Apple Store' in Japanese).]

(Photo of Apple Power Mac G4 with an Apple Studio Display via Collin Grady)

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)

‘Remembering Steve Jobs’ domain now re-directs to Apple’s official website

J.B. | October 20, 2011 | Comments (2)

Sadly, after Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, hundreds of people flocked online to register and capitalize on ‘Steve Jobs’ domain names.

One such domain was RememberingSteveJobs.com.

The domain had first been registered in early 2009, shortly after Jobs gave a statement in January saying he had been suffering from a “hormone imbalance” for several months. The domain expired in 2010, but was registered again on the day he passed away by Brett Burky, who had launched his own one page website.

It now appears Apple owns the domain name.

On October 18, the domain name went behind WHOIS privacy and is now re-directing to Apple’s official ‘Remembering Steve’ page which it recently launched.

It’s unknown whether Apple paid money for the domain or whether the previous owner handed it over.

RememberingSteve.com also points to the official ‘Remembering Steve’ page at the time of this story.

DNW reported earlier this month, 600 related domain names (mostly tasteless) were registered at Go Daddy alone, in the 36 hours following news of his death.

Some shut down sales their sales threads, after news broke that people were trying to sell web addresses.

It’s good to see these two domains being used properly.

Discussion: 9 to 5 mac

Apple files three iMessage trademarks, in wake of iChat integration rumors

J.B. | September 20, 2011 | Comments (1)

Last week tech blogs speculated that Apple was building in iMessage support into OS X Lion’s iChat instant messaging software, after a developer revealed to Mac Rumors a code string with two new properties: timeDelivered and timeRead.

On the same day the news broke on September 14, Apple filed three different trademark applications for iMessage with the United States Patent and Trademark Office that may be able to offer more insight into the plans for iMessage.

Here’s a quick look at each trademark filing.

Serial No. 85423006
Goods and Services: computer software consulting; application service provider (ASP) services featuring computer software for transmission of text, data, images, audio, and video by wireless communication networks and the Internet; application service provider (ASP) services featuring computer software for electronic messaging and wireless digital messaging; information, advisory and consultancy services relating to all the foregoing

Serial No. 85422999
Goods and services: Communication services, namely, transmission of text, data, images, audio, and video by wireless communication networks and the Internet; electronic messaging and wireless digital messaging services; information, advisory and consultancy services relating to all the foregoing

Serial No. 85422982
Goods and services: Computer software for the transmission of text, data, images, audio, and video by wireless communication networks and the Internet; computer software for electronic messaging and wireless digital messaging

Discussion: 9 to 5 Mac