Month: July 2011

Categories
Disputes National Arbitration Forum News Video Games

Activision files complaint over ModernWarfare3.com, posted online

Modernwarfare3.com domain dispute

Breaking update July 19, 2011 04:57 AM EST:  The identity of ModernWarfare3.com has now been revealed.

**

Activision has had enough with ModernWarfare3.com.

The gaming company has filed its first domain name dispute with the National Arbitration Forum.

The complaint was filed today, July 15, a week after the mystery owner of the domain started re-directing the URL to EA’s Battlefield.com, sparking a flurry of news stories.

Although I track domain disputes filed with the National Arbitration Forum and the World Intellectual Property Organization, I didn’t find out about the dispute through their online databases, instead I found out about the dispute when I paid a visit to ModernWarfare3.com.

As of today, ModernWarfare3.com is back to its old format online, but with a twist.  Sitting on the home page is a copy of the complaint (read here) the owner received.

Now begins the UDRP (Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy), which was adopted by ICANN in the late nineties.

The complaint cost Activision $2,600 USD to file for a three-member panel.

The 11-page document, includes among other things, reasons by Activision as to why the respondent has no right or legitimate interest to the name.

Activision states, “It appears that the Respondent supports the game Battlefield from the game developer Electronic Arts (“EA”).  EA is one of Complainant’s principal competitors in the video game industry, and Battlefield game competes in the marketplace with Complainant’s MODERN WARFARE games and its other military-themed shooter games in the CALL OF DUTY series.”

Discussion: Kotaku, gameinformer, Electronic Arts UK Community, Gaming Union, RipTen, GameSpot, Benzinga, Games On Net, GoNintendo, Joystiq, IGN, ars technica,  The Daily BLAM!, Game Rant, Digital Trends, VideoGamer, GameSpy, Kit Guru, MCV, The Inquirer, PCWorld, The Escapist, Facepunch, Gamasutra, VE3D, Lazygamer, The Morton Report, Spong, 1UP and bnet

Categories
News

Microsoft acquires socl.com from same broker as social.com

microsoft

Could Microsoft be planning to launch its own social networking service to compete with Facebook and the new Google Plus?

What’s definitely not speculation is that Microsoft has acquired the four-letter domain name socl.com.  Today, the Whois record revealed Microsoft Corporation as the new owner.

On July 2, I wrote about Marksmen the IP and brand protection company, who made headlines in June after co-brokering the sale of social.com for $2.6 million.  In the article I wrote about how Marksmen had acquired the domain name socl.com just days after the social.com deal was announced.

I speculated Marksmen may have acquired the domain on behalf of the new owner of social.com (who has yet to be revealed) to use as a URL shortening service.

I did reach out for comment at the time to Marksmen, who replied via email on July 6, “Thanks for the inquiry. We can’t comment on the matter.”

Socl.com moved from Marksmen, then to Corporation Service Company temporarily this week, before the registrant information finally switched over to Microsoft in the last 24 hours.

Social.com is still registered to an “ADV”, but no further information is provided. 

Because the identity of the buyer of social.com wasn’t disclosed, it’s just rumor about Microsoft owning the $2.6 million name.     

Here’s a look at the Whois record of SOCL.com:

Whois socl.com

Discussion: Search Engine Land

Categories
News Technology

Apple acquires ‘leaked’ iPhone4.com domain name, still missing others

iphone4

Apple has officially acquired the domain name iPhone4.com, the fourth generation of its iPhone that was released in 2010.

The iPhone 4 has been one of Apple’s more controversial devices, after technology news site Gizmodo obtained a prototype of the smartphone before its release.

The Whois record for iPhone4.com switched from Whois Privacy Services to Apple Inc on July 11.

Registrant:
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino CA 95014

Domain Name: iphone4.com

Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com

Administrative Contact:
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino CA 95014
US

Created on…………..: 2006-08-11.
Expires on…………..: 2020-08-11.
Record last updated on..: 2011-07-11.

Apple may now own iPhone4.com, but according to registrant records the company still doesn’t own iPhone5.com, iPhone6.com, iPhone7.com, iPhone8.com… you get the idea.

Apple acquired iPhone.com for an undisclosed amount in 2007, which many speculate the company paid over $1 million to acquire the name.

This week Apple also acquired the domain name WhiteiPhone.com for an undisclosed amount.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Mac Rumors, The Washington Post, Cult of Mac, Elliot’s Blog, Redmond Pie, UberGizmo, TNerd, DomainNameNews and InvestorPlace

Categories
Movies News

Paramount Pictures registers VampiratesMovie.com domain name

Justin Somper

Vampire films have regained popularity with the help of books-to-movies like Twilight.

The first three films in the Twilight Saga — Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse — have grossed over $1.8 billion USD. 

Paramount Pictures, which once owned the rights to Twilight before Summit Entertainment, won’t be making the same mistake twice over a books-to-movies deal based on vampires.

The company registered the domain name VampiratesMovie.com on July 6, which could mean Paramount Pictures has acquired the rights to Justin Somper’s Vampirates books and is planning to make a film. 

Here’s a look at the Whois record:

VampiratesMovie.com WHOIS

At the time of this post, I haven’t been able to find any news or blogs mentioning Paramount Pictures and Vampirates.

I’ve reached out to Justin Somper for comment and will update this post if I hear back.

Categories
News Video Games

Activision abandons Secret Warfare video game for Call of Duty franchise

Call of Duty: Secret WarfareActivision could be abandoning plans to develop a Call of Duty: Secret Warfare title, as well as other Call of Duty games, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Monday July 11 marked the abandonment date. 

According to the USPTO, the trademark application was abandoned because no ‘Statement of Use’ or ‘Extension Request’ was filed after the ‘Notice of Allowance’ (NOA) was issued back in December 2010.

Activision hinted at plans of developing any one of a number of new titles for its Call of Duty franchise last May, after the company registered a slew of domain names and filed several trademark applications.

The ‘Secret Warfare’ trademark application is the first, in what may likely be a series of abandoned trademark applications to follow, as the game publisher focuses on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 set to release in November 2011.

The other ‘Call of Duty’ trademark applications, all filed by Activision Publishing on May 11, 2010, just had their NOA issued, therefore the company has six months from today, to use the mark in commerce and submit a Statement of Use or request an extension. 

Or, as in the case of ‘Secret Warfare’, abandon the application altogether.

For disappointed Call of Duty fans, don’t rule out a Secret Warfare title just yet.  Activision still has a ‘live’ application submitted for CALL OF DUTY SECRET WARFARE, as shown below.

CALL OF DUTY ADVANCED WARFARE [Serial Number: 85035848]
CALL OF DUTY FUTURE WARFARE [Serial Number: 85035853]
CALL OF DUTY SECRET WARFARE [Serial Number: 85035859]
CALL OF DUTY SPACE WARFARE [Serial Number: 85035865]
FUTURE WARFARE [Serial Number: 85035869]
SPACE WARFARE [Serial Number: 85035875]