Category: National Arbitration Forum

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Blizzard’s lawyers take control of Blizzard.tv domain, is there something in the works?

Domain dispute over Blizzard.tv withdrawn, does Blizzard Entertainment have something in store?

This week, the dispute over the Blizzard.tv name (Case Number: 1528644) was withdrawn after being filed with the National Arbitration Forum back in early November.

So, the question is, were the lawyers at Blizzard Entertainment just trying to defend their intellectual property or does the company have something more planned for Blizzard.tv?

Like, say, a potential competitor to the live game streaming service Twitch.tv.

Blizzard doesn’t often file disputes, and hadn’t filed a complaint since 2011 when it won the transfer of worldoflordcraft.com.  So, why now?

Though the complainant in the Blizzard.tv dispute wasn’t officially revealed, it’s pretty much guaranteed that Blizzard Entertainment is behind it.  At the time of this story, Blizzard.tv is registered to intellectual property law firm Christie, Parker & Hale LLP – the same firm that has represented Blizzard in past disputes for names like Blizzard-North.com (Claim Number:  FA0302000146620). And since the complaint was withdrawn, the domain redirects visitors to Blizzard.com.

Often times, when a domain name complaint is withdrawn, both parties have come to an agreement.  And because Blizzard had no guarantee of winning the dispute, it’s possible the previous registrant received some type of payment.

Whether Blizzard Entertainment has something in store for the domain, is only speculation at this point. But live game streaming has become very popular and Twitch has a virtual monopoly.

Last month, Blizzard live streamed an event on Battle.net, prompting one Reddit user to say, “Blizzard should make their own Twitch”.

Talking about this story: Ubergizmo, JudgeHype, Blizz Pro and OnGamers

(Image of StarCraft II Pro Players via Blizzard.com)

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Microsoft takes ownership of XboxOne.com and XboxOne.net domain names [UPDATED]

XboxOne.com domain name

Microsoft’s lawyers have officially taken ownership of the domain names XboxOne.com and XboxOne.net after filing a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) back in late May.

Both domains just changed registrants to Microsoft, c/o The Richard Law Group, a law firm that often represents Microsoft in domain disputes.  Last year, the firm helped secure XboxPhone.com and XboxTablet.com.  Those names are among a long list of names recovered at NAF by Microsoft.

The victory makes Microsoft the first company to secure the matching dotcom domain of its next-generation video game console.

Sony doesn’t own PlayStation4.com nor has it filed any type of public complaint.  Playstation4.com re-directs visitors to PSX Extreme, a video game website that covers PlayStation news.  Playstation4.com is currently owned by Poise Media Inc., according to WHOIS records.

Nintendo recently suffered a somewhat embarrassing domain defeat, after its complaint over WiiU.com was denied.

The official ruling by NAF has yet to be published on its website, but should appear any day now.

Here’s a look at the WHOIS record for XboxOne.com, showing the updated record:

WHOIS: XboxOne.com

UPDATE 3 July 24, 2013: In a separate but related case, Microsoft took ownership of Xbox1.com (WHOIS). The company filed a dispute over the domain in early June, and like XboxOne.com, the dispute was withdrawn from NAF before a ruling was issued.

UPDATE 2 July 19, 2013: Both domains have switched over to Microsoft’s domain servers, but instead of directing users to the official Xbox website, they redirect users to its Bing search engine.

UPDATE 1 July 17, 2013:  The case with NAF was withdrawn according to an update posted on its website today.  While it’s unknown exactly why the case was withdrawn, chances are the previous owner decided to hand over the names to Microsoft’s lawyers instead of waiting for a ruling by a panel.

Talking about this story:  Joystiq, GameSpot, IGN, Ars Technica, Computerandvideogames.com, Eurogamer.it, Game Politics, Game Revolution, EGMNOW, Gameranx, GameZone, Geeky Gadgets, Giga.de, Jeux Video.fr, MeriStation, Neowin, OnlineWelten.com, playm.de, Shacknews, Ubergizmo, Vandal, VideoGamer.com, VG247, Canaltech, Gamers.fr, Gamepro, GamerZona, Jeuxvideomagazine.com, Key4biz, Latinos Post, XBLA Fans, Xbox One Daily, Design & Trend

(Image of E3 via Xbox Wire)

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Now Microsoft’s lawyers are going after Xbox1.com domain name [UPDATED]

Xbox One

A little over a week ago, Microsoft filed a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) over the domain names XboxOne.com and XboxOne.net.  The company, it seems, held off on registering or acquiring any Xbox One related domains until after the announcement of its next-generation Xbox, so as not to reveal the name of the new system.

Now, with the news in from Microsoft, the company is having to go the legal route to get domain names related to the Xbox One.

A new dispute (Case Number: 1501169) has been brought against the owner of Xbox1.com (WHOIS).

It’s unknown whether Microsoft offered cash and was turned down, or, if the company demanded the names before filing complaints.

While nothing is guaranteed in a domain dispute, Microsoft has a good track record with Xbox names and has won dozens of disputes ranging from Xbox Gold to Xbox Fitness.  In fact, it appears the company has never lost a complaint.  Either the domain names have been ordered transferred by a panel or the complaints were withdrawn after the names were handed over before a decision.

Microsoft isn’t the only video game console maker that doesn’t own the matching domain to its system.

In February, Nintendo filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization over the domain name Wiiu.com.  No ruling has been issued yet.

Sony doesn’t own Playstation4.com, nor has the company filed any kind of dispute.  As I wrote back in 2011, Playstation4.com re-directs to PSX Extreme, a video game website that has been covering Sony Playstation news for years.  In 2001, Sony filed a dispute over sonyplaystation2.com, playstationx.com and sonyps2.com, and won.

Talking about this story: VG247, JeuxVideo.com, Neowin.net and melty.fr

UPDATE 2 July 23, 2013: Microsoft has taken ownership of Xbox1.com, according to the latest WHOIS records.  The case was withdrawn from NAF.

UPDATE 1 June 5, 2013: Microsoft filed another complaint (Case Number: 1503080) over the domains xboxone.co, xboxone.me, xboxoneforum.net, xboxonewiki.com, xboxonehelp.com, xboxonecheat.com and xboxoneblog.com.

(Image of Xbox One via Xbox.com)

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Microsoft files dispute over XboxOne.com and XboxOne.net domain names

Xbox One

Microsoft has filed a complaint (Case Number 1501205) with the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) over the domain names XboxOne.com and XboxOne.net.

The filing appeared online today, just two days after the company announced its next-generation console the Xbox One.

For months speculation, often based on domain registrations by the company, was rampant as to what Microsoft would call the next Xbox.

The company kept the name a secret, and kept away from registering “Xbox One” domains that would have tipped their hand.

XboxOne.com (WHOIS) and XboxOne.net (WHOIS) are registered to a resident of the United Kingdom.

Both domains are parked at Go Daddy today, but at one point, XboxOne.com was a website dedicated to Xbox-related news.  Here’s a screenshot of the XboxOne.com website from the early 2000s, courtesy of Screenshots.com.

Xbox One Website

As I’ve written before, Microsoft has had a lot of success with its domain disputes, so its latest case will almost certainly go in its favor.

XboxSmartglass.com was ordered transferred to Microsoft, as was XboxPhone.com and XboxFitness.com.   The list of victories in domain disputes for Microsoft goes on and on.  In 2012, Microsoft took ownership of several names such as XboxMusic.com, XboxSports.com, and XboxVideo.com just to name a few.

It appears only a single complaint was filed for both domains. According to UDRP rules, if more than one domain being disputed is held by the same respondent, all of the names may be included in the same complaint. Rule 3(b)(vi).

Talking about this story: Neowin, Kotaku, Joystiq, CNET, TechFlash, Shacknews, GamePolitics, 3DNews, SlashGear, Computerandvideogames.com, Herald Sun, GameSpot, IGN, VG247, Gameplanet, PC Magazine, Eurogamer, Game Informer, Gizmodo En Espanol, Kotaku Australia, NEWS.com.au, iTech Post, Den of Geek, SpieleRadar, Softpedia, WinFuture, Tech2, GameZone, GameDynamo, ITProPortal, Gamenguide, GamerZona, KultureGeek, melty.fr, JVN.com, GMA News,  GameFocus and PC Games

(Image of Xbox One via Microsoft.com)

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Disputes Featured National Arbitration Forum Video Games

Microsoft Corporation wins dispute for Xbox Gold domain name

Battlefield 4 Xbox Gold

A single-member panel with the National Arbitration Forum has ordered the domain Xbox-Gold.com be transferred to Microsoft.  Microsoft continues to grow its portfolio of “Xbox Gold” domains, having privately acquired or registered several related names including XboxGold.com.

The company recently bagged the name XboxGold.org in mid-March, after the previous owner turned over the name before the case was even decided.

It is still “officially” unknown what Microsoft will call its next generation console or what plans (if any) it has for Xbox Gold.

There are quite a few names that have been speculated over the last year.  The names include Xbox 720, Xbox Infinity, Xbox 8, Xbox Durango, Xbox Next and even just the Xbox.

If Microsoft decides to name the next Xbox based on a domain name it owns, here’s the current breakdown:

Xbox720.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft does not own the domain.

XboxInfinity.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft does not own the domain.

Xbox8.com (WHOIS) -Microsoft does not own the domain.

XboxDurango.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft does not own the domain.

XboxNext.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft owns the domain.

XboxGold.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft owns the domain.

Xbox.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft owns the domain.

(Image of Battlefield 4 via Battlefield.com)