Apple has finally obtained ownership over the ‘aplestore.com’ domain name through arbitration.
Furthermore, the iPhone maker is still fighting to win control over a bunch of other interesting domain names, including ‘itunes.net’ and thirteen others.
By the way, wouldn’t you have liked to had registered that one?
According to Domain Name Wire, Apple through a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) panel ordered the transfer of the domain name ‘aplestore.com’ to them.
The domain was registered to a guy in Poland and forwarded to a parked page full of ads.
Although its name was misspelled, frequently popular Apple product names that get searched a lot are found in one form or another in domain names.
Their owners seek to either dupe people into visiting a malicious site or hit them with a webpage full of ads so someone can put a little AdSense money into their pocket.
Needles to say, this indirectly tarnishes the Apple brand so no wonder the company is fighting back.
Apple is also looking to secure itunes.net and the following fourteen domain names:
applemudic.com
applemusoc.com
applenusic.com
applwmusic.com
appplemusic.com
wwapplemusic.com
wwwapplemusic.com
wwwipodlounge.com
wwwlapplemusic.com
applestor.com
wwwitune.com
apple-9.com
It’s been reported last month that Apple also turned to WIPO to secure the ownership of the iPhone5.com domain name. They also gained control over domain names ‘applle.com’, ‘applecom.com’ and ‘appleprinters.com’ this year after filing cases.
The Domain Name Wire article notes this is the first case Apple has won under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) this year.
To get those unfamiliar with UDRP up to speed, all registrars must follow ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy which mandates that trademark-based domain name disputes be resolved by agreement, court action or arbitration before a registrar will cancel, suspend or transfer a domain name.
According to ICANN:
Disputes alleged to arise from abusive registrations of domain names (for example, cybersquatting) may be addressed by expedited administrative proceedings that the holder of trademark rights initiates by filing a complaint with an approved dispute-resolution service provider.
To invoke the policy, a trademark owner should either (a) file a complaint in a court of proper jurisdiction against the domain-name holder (or where appropriate an in-rem action concerning the domain name) or (b) in cases of abusive registration submit a complaint to an approved dispute-resolution service provider (see below for a list and links).
Apple and other companies usually secure trademark-based domain names through brand protection agencies.
With the new rules in place, gone are the days when you could register, for example, the domain name ‘ipad.com’ and seek a seven-figure amount to relinquish ownership.
Do you own an interesting domain name?