[wg-c] I/O Design Initiates Legal Proceedings against CORE

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

Perhaps relevant...

Here's a question: If CORE has a TM for .web in Europe, and IODesign
has a TM for .web in the US, which rights prevail?

More to the point -- should ICANN get involved in disputes like 
this? 

----- Forwarded message from IFWP list -----

Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999 09:58:26 -0400
To: list@ifwp.org
From: Gordon Cook <cook@cookreport.com>
Subject: [IFWP] I/O Design Initiates Legal Proceedings against CORE
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
Reply-To: list@ifwp.org

For release Monday, 19 July, 1999

San Luis Obispo, California

   Lawyers for Image Online Design, Inc., owner of the .WEB Internet Domain
Registry, today sent letters to the Council of Registrars (CORE) and
Name-Space, requesting that they cease all use of Image Online Design's .WEB
trademark. "Image Online Design owns valuable trademark rights in .WEB, and
we have invested substantial time, effort and money developing our registry
business in connection with the .WEB mark," said CEO John Frangie.  Image
Online Design uses the service mark .WEB to identify its Internet domain
name registry and registrar services. "Image Online Design wants to make
sure there is no confusion over who owns the .WEB registry and the rights to
the trademark," added Frangie.

   Image Online Design began operating its .WEB registry in July, 1996, and
has continuously offered registry and registrar services for its clients
throughout the United States and around the world.  "At the beginning,"
noted Frangie, "it was expected that new registries would be added to IANA's
root servers by October of 1996; that was IANA chief, Jon Postel's original
plan."  The .WEB registry has always been fully operational and many
Internet users enjoy unfettered access to Internet names in Images Online
Design's .WEB registry.  The addition would allow the rest of the Internet's
users access to those names in the .WEB registry.  Despite hang ups with the
addition new top-level domains to the root servers, now operated by Network
Solutions under a U.S. Government contract, Image Online Design has
continued its .WEB registry services while actively participating in the
debate to add new registries.

   The letters simply ask that CORE and Name-Space cease their use of our
trademark. "We're looking forward to competing with both CORE and
Name-Space," said Frangie, "but their use of .WEB clearly infringes upon our
rights, and confuses consumers. I'm sure that this will be worked out
quickly and amicably."

   "Trademark protection is an important issue surrounding the Internet
today," said Wes Monroe, attorney for Image Online Design.  Monroe also
explained, "Courts have consistently held that traditional trademark
protection extends to the Internet's domain name system, and registry and
registrar services are no exception.  CORE, by filing applications for
federal trademark registration for six marks, including .WEB, has indicated
that it believes that trademark rights apply to domain registry and
registrar services."

About Image Online Design

   Image Online Design, Inc., of San Luis Obispo, California, operates the
.WEB Internet domain registry. More information about the company and its
.WEB registry can be found at its corporate web site, http://webtld.com or
http://nic.web.

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
Kent Crispin                               "Do good, and you'll be
kent@songbird.com                           lonesome." -- Mark Twain