domain squatting
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Apple wins iPods.com domain
Apple has won a victory over the owner of the iPods.com domain name. As we reported two months ago, Apple filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to have the iPods.com domain name transferred from its current owner to its "rightful owner" -- Apple. Rather than spend a lot of money to purchase the domain name from the existing owner, Apple used the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). The UDRP allows a complainant to request a domain transfer when a domain name is identical or "confusingly similar" to a trademark that they own. In particular, if the respondent to the complaint has no "legitimate interests in respect of the domain name" and the domain name is being "used in bad faith," the complainant (Apple) can request a transfer of the domain name to its rightful owner. This process can be completed for just a few thousand dollars. In the past, Apple has paid seven-digit amounts for domain names, including iPhone.com and iCloud.com.
Beware Microsoft's domain squatting faux pas
If you're an Xbox Live subscriber interested in getting your hands on a Diamond Card, beware. It seems that a typo on the website, www.xboxlivediamond.com, encourages users to email a non-Microsoft address if they believe their gamertag has been signed up to the site by someone else. From Joystiq, which has the scoop: Step 3: Notice the error message that says: "We're Sorry!!! That GamerTag has already been registered" Notice the following instructions: "If you believe that someone else has registered with your GamerTag, please send an email to support@xboxdiamond.com." Step 4: Notice that xboxdiamond.com is registered with domain squatters. Oops! Hope nobody sent their Xbox Live account information (password, credit card information) to that email address! We further hope that whoever's receiving the deluge of emails isn't impersonating Microsoft and soliciting this information from Xbox Live customers. Since the domain was recently listed on eBay, who knows what the squatters are going to do with the deluge of mis-registered gamertag emails. We hope Microsoft fix this blunder quickly--it doesn't exactly instil faith in the Diamond Card service.
