Category «Domain Names»

Trademark Decision from Supreme Court Impacts Domain Names

On March 4, the Supreme Court released a unanimous decision in Moseley et al., dba v. V Secret Catalogue, Inc., et al., No. 01-1015, a trademark dilution case (Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995 (FTDA) at Section 43(c) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. §1125(c). According to Declan McCullagh’s article on the decision, “the justices …

Subjects: Courts, Domain Names, Patent and Trademark

Amazon To Sell Internet Addresses

According to a report in today’s Seattle Times via AP and Bloomberg, and the March 1 WSJ, on December 6, 2002 ICANN granted Amazon.com approval to sell TLD (top level domain) Internet addresses to the public. A search of ICANN’s site yielded confirmation of this approval in a very discreet manner: on a ICANN-Accredited Registrars …

Subjects: Domain Names, E-Commerce

Controversy Over .edu Domain

As a follow-up to my February 12 posting on the expansion of the .edu domain by the Department of Commerce, which begins on April 15, see this article, Is Commerce ‘dumbing down’ the ‘.edu’ domain name? Along with accredited colleges and universities, the .edu domain will now host technical and distance learning programs (including cosmetology, …

Subjects: Domain Names

Report on Domain Name Cyberscam

In April 2002, the FTC obtained a judgment and permanent injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennyslvania barring cybersquatter John Zuccarini from continuing an extensive cyberscam. It involved diverting individuals from their intended website destinations to the more than 5,300 sites he owned, through the use of commonly occuring misspellings …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Domain Names, E-Commerce

VeriSign Relaunches Network Solutions

VeriSign, Inc., the global “digital trust service,” issued a press release today announcing the relaunch of Network Solutions Inc. as the company through which it will now provide “domain name, Web site and e-mail service business.” The Network Solutions site has been redesigned to enhance ease of use and highlight the range of services available.

Subjects: Domain Names, Internet

ICANN's Plans for New Top Level Domains

See ICANN’s announcement on recommendations for new Top Level Domains (TLDs) as well as a comment period which will end December 10. According to this related Washington Post article, ICANN is in favor of creating three new top level domains that target specific users, rather than the current dot-com grab-bag approach.

Subjects: Domain Names, E-Commerce

.org Registry Agreement

ICANN has published the text of their agreement for administration of the .org Top Level Domain by The Internet Society (ISOC). According to internet.com, the ISOC claimed they established a separate entity, the Public Interest Registry (PIR), to “carry out the registry functions.” A FAQ on the PIR is available here.

Subjects: Domain Names