A landmark High Court ruling that will protect companies’ rights to
their names on the Internet has won praise from the Institute of Trade
Mark Agents.
The ruling was against two so-called ’domain brokers’ who were engaged
in registering prospective Internet and e-mail addresses of well-known
companies and offering to sell or lease them back to their rightful
owners for large sums of money.
ITMA, which protects the interests of trade mark holders, said it hoped
the ruling would dissuade unscrupulous dealers from repeating the
practice.
Richard Conway and Julian Nicholson registered the Internet domain names
of high street brands including Ladbrokes, Burger King and Marks &
Spencer.
In a separate case earlier this year, Harrods won back the rights to its
name for use on the Internet.
John Slater, the president of ITMA, said: ’The judgment backs up what we
have been constantly saying.
For a long time we have been warning of superhighway pirates.’
