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Disputes National Arbitration Forum News

Baylor University files a complaint over BaylorGirls XXX domain name

Baylor Girls

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.]