National Arbitration Forum Issues Decision on Google Web Addresses
A National Arbitration Forum arbitrator rules in favor of Google, regarding several Internet domain names that are similar to Google.com
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. — http://www.arbitration-forum.com — The National Arbitration
Forum announced today that a ruling has been issued in favor of Google regarding
rights to the Internet domain names googkle.com, ghoogle.com, gfoogle.com and
gooigle.com.
A complaint was recently filed with the National Arbitration
Forum by Google Inc., represented by Rose A. Hagan, on May 11, 2005 asserting
legal rights to the Web addresses bearing close resemblance to
Google.com.
Ruling in Google’s favor, National Arbitration Forum
arbitrator Paul A. Dorf found that the other party, Sergey Gridasov, registered
the googkle.com and ghoogle.com on December 30, 2000 and the domain names
gfoogle.com and gooigle.com on January 12, 2001—after Google registered its
domain in late 1999. The other party was also using the disputed domain names to
direct Internet users to Web sites that attempt to download viruses, trojan
horses and spyware to the users’ computers. The disputed domain names contain
links to various products unrelated to Google.
National Arbitration
Forum’s arbitrator found that Gridasov did not have legitimate rights to the Web
addresses, and the Web addresses were confusingly similar to Google’s trademark
rights to its own name. The arbitrator also found that Gridasov was using them
in bad faith by presumably profiting from the use of domains.
Internet
domain disputes similar to that of Google’s are a few of thousands heard each
year by the National Arbitration Forum under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute
Resolution Policy ("UDRP") of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers ("ICANN"). The domain name dispute process is a popular alternative to
lengthy and expensive trademark lawsuits.
A copy of the decision, Google
Inc. v. Sergey Gridasov, is available for viewing on the National Arbitration
Forum Web site at: http://www.arb-forum.com/domains/decisions/474816.htm
About
the National Arbitration Forum
The National Arbitration Forum is one of the
world's leading providers of alternative dispute resolution solutions, including
arbitration and mediation, representing a distinguished panel of over 1,500
attorneys and retired judges in the U.S. and in 29 countries. Founded in 1986,
the National Arbitration Forum administers more than 50,000 cases annually.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the National Arbitration Forum also has
offices located in New Jersey and Los Angeles. Additional information is
available at the National Arbitration Forum's Web site at http://www.arbitration-forum.com or our blog at http://arbitration-forum.blogspot.com
Claim Number:
FA0505000474816
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb260639.htm