On October 18th the domain name Switch.net sold on NameJet.com for $3,655. Two days later on October 20th a UDRP was filed on the domain. The Complainant is listed only as "Switch". Reviewing the US Trademark database I see a trademark on the term Switch by "Switch Lighting & Design" of Ohio and another by "Switch LLC DBA switch LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY MASSACHUSETTS" Guess we … [Read more...]
Google Publishes Requests From Governments To Remove Material & The US Wants Police Brutality Videos Off
Google has just published on its blog, a summary of the requests it received from Governments around the world to remove content from Google or one or more of its operated sites like YouTube.com The report is for the period from January 1, 2011-June 30, 2011. As for the US: "" We received a request from a local law enforcement agency to remove YouTube videos of police brutality, which … [Read more...]
TechDirt: 20 More Domains Seized Over The Weekend
According to TechDirt.com 20 more domain names were seized over the weekend by ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security. The domain names all allegedly involved sale of unauthorized NFL merchandise The list of domains seized: … [Read more...]
Cybersquatting May Become A Crime In Nigeria
According to a report in AllAfrica.com out today, Nigeria is considering criminalizing Cybersqautting. ""Cybersquatting is the registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad-faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else."" According to the bill, any person who is found guilty of cybersquatting shall be liable on conviction to the fine of not … [Read more...]
4 Biggest UK ISP Will Make You Opt In If You Want To View Porn Sites
According to the guardian.co.uk the four biggest internet service providers (ISP's) in the UK is going to require users to have to "opt in" if they want to view sexually explicit websites. The service providers involved are BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin. Customers who do not opt in to adult content will be unable to access pornographic websites. This has nothing to do with .XXX. domain … [Read more...]
Twitter Close To Getting Trademark, Tweet
According to the Wall Street Journal, Twitter is about to get the trademark of the word Tweet by settling a suit with Twittad which currently holds the trademark to Tweet ""On Monday, James Eliason, CEO of Twittad, said in an interview that Twitter would drop a lawsuit it filed against his company last month that sought to nix Twittad’s registered trademark of the word “tweet.” In return, Des … [Read more...]
WIPO Boss: “The Web Would Have Been Better Off If It Was Patented & Every User Had To Pay A License Fee To Use It”
According to a story in The Blog, boingboing, Francis Gurry, the Director General of the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) chatted last week about who much better off the Internet would have been "if it had been locked away in patents, and if every user of the Web had needed to pay a license fee to use it " Of course WIPO is one of the groups which administer domain name … [Read more...]