Heroes of Warcraft Archives

Blizzard Entertainment has taken ownership of the domain HeroesofWarcraft.com.

Back in November 2012, the gaming company filed a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) against the owner, setting off speculation about the company’s future plans and rumblings that Warcraft IV might be in the works.

The dispute for the domain name was won by Blizzard Entertainment, but not in the traditional sense. Instead of waiting on a decision to be handed down by the NAF arbitration panel, the complaint (Case No. 1470639) was withdrawn and the original owner transferred the name to Blizzard this week. The WHOIS record now shows “BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.” as the registrant.

It’s unknown how the two sides arrived at an agreement or whether any money exchanged hands.

So, what is Heroes of Warcraft?

As I pointed out in my story in November, Warcraft III started out as a game called Heroes of Warcraft, but was ultimately called Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

A lot of people have their own theories, however, Blizzard still has yet to announce anything official, so for now, a game being released called “Heroes of Warcraft” remains speculation.

As of today, Blizzard also owns HeroesofWarcraft.net (WHOIS) and HeroesofWarcraft.co.uk (WHOIS), but none of the names including HeroesofWarcraft.com, resolve to a web page.

Talking about this story: PC Games, MMO Champion and OnlineWelten.com

Warcraft IV? Blizzard Entertainment files complaint over HeroesofWarcraft.com

Over the past year, Blizzard Entertainment has made a number of domain acquisitions including StarCraft.com, nearly 15 years after the game’s first release. The company also registered the name WarcraftBattles.com just last month for unknown reasons.

Now, Blizzard Entertainment is attempting to acquire the domain HeroesofWarcraft.com, only instead of having to pay what may be a lot of money demanded by its current owner, the company has filed a complaint (Case No. 1470639) with the National Arbitration Forum in hopes of the name being ordered transferred to their control.

Will “Heroes of Warcraft” be the title of the next Warcraft?

According to WHOIS records, HeroesofWarcraft.com is currently registered to a resident of the United Kingdom. Originally hidden behind Go Daddy’s Domains By Proxy (DBP) service, Go Daddy removed the privacy service on the domain in the past week, revealing the identity of the owner.

It’s unknown what Blizzard has planned for “Heroes of Warcraft” or why the company had to file a dispute, but the company hinted at something more for Heroes of Warcraft back in September when it registered the name HeroesofWarcraft.co.uk (WHOIS).

Warcraft III started out as a game called Heroes of Warcraft, but was ultimately called Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

Blizzard Entertainment is no stranger to the UDRP, having filed its first case back in 2007 over worldofwarcraft.es and winning.

To win this dispute, the company must demonstrate that all of the elements enumerated in paragraph 4(a) of the Policy have been satisfied:

(1) that the disputed domain name registered by the Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights; and

(2) that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name; and

(3) that the disputed domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith

I will update this post as more information becomes available.

Talking about this story: gamona.de, Joystiq, Escapist Magazine, games.on.net, Buffed.de, ComputerGames.ro, PC Games, InsideGamer, Gamenguide, Gameranx, NeoGAF, GamingBolt, Strategy Informer, VG247 and Eurogamer.net