Categories
Disputes National Arbitration Forum News

Google going after YouTube typo domains that lead to survey scams

YouTube Scam Survey site

Google is going after several popular typos of the web address YouTube.com, all owned by the same person. 

Each typo domain leads unsuspecting users to a site that looks confusingly similar to the official YouTube site (as shown in the picture above of YouTub.com – minus the ‘e’).  Instead of landing on Google’s YouTube, users are taken to a survey scam that asks a series of questions and attempts to gather personal information by promising free gifts like Best Buy gift cards.

Google filed the complaint (Case No. 1416796) with the National Arbitration Forum this past week over the domain names: youtbe.com, youtub.com, youtue.com, youube.com, and yutube.com. 

The names are all registered to the same person as seen in WHOIS records, allowing Google to file one complaint that relates to more than one domain name, under UDRP rules.

According to rough traffic estimates provided by Compete.com, visitors number in the thousands to each site every month.  In October for example, YouTub.com reported over 6,000 unique visitors.

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 be ordered transferred to Google.

This will likely be an open-and-shut case for Google.  Earlier this month, Twitter Inc. won a similar dispute over the highly trafficked domain Twiter.com after filing a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

I’ve reached out to the owner of the disputed domain names for comment, and will update this story if I hear back.

Google had its own share of problems with the YouTube web address early on, but it found itself on the other side of a dispute.

Just weeks after acquiring the video site, Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment filed a lawsuit in 2006 after its site (utube.com) continuously crashed because of millions of people looking for YouTube.  Universal Tube ended up using utubeonline.com for its business web address, and kept ownership of utube.com – a site that today averages a million visitors per month according to Compete.

Discussion:TechCrunch, Silicon Republic, The Verge, Softpedia, Techmeme, iG Tecnologia and Punto Informatico

Categories
News Video Games

Amazon to launch a Santa app in time for the 2011 holiday season [UPDATED]

Amazon Santa Claus app

Updated December 1, 2011 at 5:37am EST:  As expected, Amazon announced the launch of its Santa App for the Kindle Fire and iPad.  The press release was issued yesterday on November 30.  A day before the announcement, Amazon added a bunch of related domains to its portfolio including: amazonsantabooks.com, amazonsantacatalog.com, amazonsantafire.com,  amazonsantagames.com,  amazonsantagifts.com, amazonsantaholiday.com, amazonsantakids.com, amazonsantakindle.com, amazonsantamovies.com, amazonsantamusic.com, amazonsantatablet.com, amazonsantatoys.com, amazonsantavideo.com, amazonsantawishlist.com and amazonsboot.com.

**

Amazon is hinting at the launch of a Santa Claus app with several new domain registrations this week that include names like AmazonSantapp.com, AmazonSantaforFire.com and AmazonSantaforiPad.com.

On November 21, Amazon’s legal department registered a bunch of domains through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.  The names indicate the Amazon Santa app could be available on a number of different tablet devices, not just the Kindle Fire. 

The new domain registrations include:

amazon-santa-app.com
amazonsantaapp.com
amazonsantaclausapp.com
amazonsantaclausmobileapp.com
amazonsantaforfire.com
amazonsantaforipad.com
amazonsantaforkindlefire.com
amazonsantafortablets.com
amazonsantamobileapp.com
amazonsantapp.com

At the time of this story going online this morning at 5am EST, Amazon has not made any official announcements on its Press Releases site nor do any of the domain names above resolve to a web page. 

Santa Claus apps and websites have been popular during the holiday season, particularly Santa-tracking apps. 

NORAD’s Santa Tracker is one of the most highly trafficked websites each year.  According to a rough estimate by Compete, NORADSanta.org (which opens in December) had over 4 million visitors in December 2010.

Categories
News

Google registers ‘Google Gives Back’

Google Gives Back

Google Gives Back

It looks like Google has plans to give back this holiday season, as to who or what exactly, is unknown.

On November 20, the search engine giant registered three domain names: Googlegivesback.com, Googlegivesback.net and Googlegivesback.org.

According to Whois historical records, Googlegivesback.com was first registered back in 2008 by a resident of Orlando, Florida, before the name finally expired. 

As of today, none of the domains resolve to a web page, but with the holidays right around the corner and Black Friday this week, you can expect Google to make an announcement soon for its ‘Google Gives Back’ program.

[Updated on December 15, 2011:  Google launched Google Gives Back 2011 today, a site that shares information about Google’s charitable efforts.]

Discussion: Search Engine Land

Categories
News Technology

New T-Mobile Android phone called ‘Prism’ getting ready to be released?

T-Mobile shop

T-Mobile USA appears to be working on a new smartphone called ‘Prism’, according to several new domain registrations this week that include names like tmobileprism.com and t-mobileprism.com.

Though a new device is only speculation, the company’s IP counsel registered the domain names through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor, on November 21, 2011, but as of yet, hasn’t officially announced any plans for the device.

T-Mobile USA originally filed for the Prism trademark back in 2009 and has had three extensions granted since that time.  In 2009, Prism was one of many names being considering for its second Android phone, which was eventually marketed as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G in the United States.

The goods and services in the 2009 filing cover, “wireless handheld telecommunications devices, namely, wireless telecommunications devices that combine wireless voice and data telecommunications functions, digital imaging functions, computing functions, permit the two-way wireless transmission of e-mail and text, permit wireless access to a global computer network, gaming and multimedia functionality.” 

The list of new domain registrations include:

t-mobileprism.com
t-mobileprism.net
t-mobileprism.biz
t-mobileprism.org
t-mobileprism.us
tmobileprism.biz
tmobileprism.org
tmobileprism.us

Here’s a look at the WHOIS record for tmobileprism.com.

Registrant:
        IP Counsel
        T-Mobile USA, Inc.
        12920 SE 38th Street
         Bellevue WA 98006
        US

    Domain Name: tmobileprism.com

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

    Administrative Contact:
        IP Counsel
        T-Mobile USA, Inc.
        12920 SE 38th Street
         Bellevue WA 98006
        US

    Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
        IP Counsel
        T-Mobile USA, Inc.
        12920 SE 38th Street
         Bellevue WA 98006
        US

    Created on…………..: 2011-11-21.
    Expires on…………..: 2013-11-21.
    Record last updated on..: 2011-11-21.

Discussion: TmoNews

Categories
Disputes National Arbitration Forum News Video Games

Epic Games fights for ownership of InfinityBlade.com domain name

Infinity Blade

Gears of War 3 developer Epic Games has apparently filed a complaint (Case Number: 1415318) over the domain name InfinityBlade.com with the National Arbitration Forum.

In December 2010, Epic released the iOS game Infinity Blade, which became the fastest-grossing app in iOS history, selling $1.6 million in just four days time.  A sequel to the game, Infinity Blade II, is set to launch on December 1, 2011.

Though Epic has clearly seen massive success with Infinity Blade, the domain name InfinityBlade.com was first registered in 2007, nearly three years before the game’s launch.  The game developer uses the web address http://epicgames.com/infinityblade/ as the official home page.

But registering the domain long before a product is launched, doesn’t always mean a win for the current owner.  

The forum 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 name will be ordered transferred. 

Up until last week, the owner of the domain was hidden behind Whois privacy protection services at Enom.  Now with the domain dispute filed, the Whois privacy has been removed on InfinityBlade.com revealing the owner to the public — something Enom does when a domain is alleged to violate or infringe a third party’s trademark, trade name, copyright interests or other legal rights.

The complainant won’t be officially known until a decision is published, but it’s safe to say the dispute was filed by Epic Games, who also has six separate trademarks filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office that cover a wide range of goods and services.

Today, when you visit InfinityBlade.com, a message on the website says the account has been suspended.

I’ve reached out to the current owner to see if I can learn more about the dispute, and will update this post if I hear back.