Source: https://blog.safenames.com/
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 16:00:54+00:00

Document:
26th March, OXFORD: .UK domain registrants with a third-level domain (.co.uk, .org.uk, .me.uk, .net.uk, .plc.uk or .ltd.uk) are today reminded that they have less than three months left to secure the shorter second level (.uk) equivalent, before it is made available to the public.
The deadline closes at 05:00 UTC on the 25th June, the end of a five year ‘Right of Registration’ period set aside by Nominet in June 2014 to allow third-level domain registrants ample time to consider whether they would like to register their second-level equivalent.
After the deadline closes, all previously reserved but unregistered domains will become generally available in July.
Of the original 10 million domains who had their rights reserved in June 2014, there are now 3.2 million domains that have not registered the corresponding shorter .uk equivalent. Over 2 million .uk domains have been registered.
Nominet and its registrars have been in touch with registrants over the course of the five year Right of Registration period, through direct contact, webinars, regular promotion and registrar initiatives.
To remind rights holders of the deadline, an advertising campaign is planned for May.
For more information on the .UK domain name or to discuss with an expert please email sales@safenames.net or call 01908 200022.
The recent case of Pret A Manger Limited v. Jack Tang; D2018-2059 (concerning the domain name “pret.app”) highlighted the importance of credibility under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). Whilst the courts are better equipped to evaluate the Parties’ credibility in a dispute, much can be ascertained from the Parties’ submissions as regards their background, intentions and motive.
The manner and motive in which a complaint is filed i.e. following a failed acquisition (see; Bernina International AG v. Domain Administration (BVI) Case No. D2016-1811, finding; “In the Panel’s view, this is a classic “Plan B” case, i.e., using the Policy after failing in the marketplace to acquire the disputed domain name. This stratagem has been described in several earlier UDRP cases as “a highly improper purpose” and it has contributed to findings of RDNH”).
Brand Logos: Confusion between Trademark and Copyright protection?
Copyright is known to protect original works such as literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works. When a person creates original work, it is automatically copyrighted at the time of its creation. Copyright gives one an exclusive right to do or authorise another person to use, reproduce and distribute copies, perform or communicate in public, certain kinds of creative works. Copyright lasts, on average, 50 years after the death of its author for most creative works.
For a work to enjoy copyright protection, the creation must be both original and tangible. A simple idea in someone’s mind is not sufficient to give protection under copyright, as the idea must be expressed in a physical form.
In contrast, trademark is a mark, when used in trade, capable of being represented graphically, and which distinguishes the goods and services of one person from that of another. The coverage of a trademark is broader than copyright, as a name, symbol, word, sign, shape of a product, colour, sound or smell can be protected under trademark law.
The main requirement for a mark to be protected is to be distinctive and not generic in relation to the business for which it is used.
However, the question here is to know if brand logos can be protected under copyright or trademark. Logos are a complex matter, and the simple answer is that they can be protected both under trademark and copyright law.
In order for a logo to have copyright protection, it requires a sufficient level of creativity. As copyright cannot protect words, colours or simple logo designs, most simple logos do not have the required level of creativity and originality to be copyrightable.
Nevertheless, some artistic logos can qualify for copyright protection if it is considered as a piece of artwork, and separate from its use as a corporate identifier. In such cases, those logos can and are enforced using both trademark and copyright.
As an example, in the United States, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) gives the opportunity for copyright holders to enforce their right and send notices to remove any content containing copyrighted works from websites or social media pages. However, as there may be some confusion between copyright and trademark protection for logos, companies must be careful when relying on the provisions of the DMCA.
In other words, this section held that any person who sends a notice of claimed infringement with knowledge that such claims are false might be liable for damages. In the CrossFit case, the company sent the DMCA takedown notice asserting infringement of its trademark rights rather than its copyright. The Court held that Alvies suffered damage when the content was removed via an improper DMCA takedown notice and agreed that such notice, used for a trademark matter, may violate paragraph 512(f).
The conclusion here is that a DMCA takedown notice, whether used for shutting down websites or social media pages, should be used carefully and only to address copyright violations. As many logos do not have the level of creativity required to be copyrightable, brand owners cannot rely on the DMCA provisions if a person only uses a company’s name logo without authorisation.
The use of a company’s logo by a third party, however, gives legal protection under trademark law and brand owners can enforce those trademark rights. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, also have specific procedures to report trademark infringements. Ideally, the best strategy for companies is to seek protection of their unique brand logos under both laws and obtain trademark rights as well as copyrights.
The foundation of the two-year time bar derives from Chinese civil actions, specifically the General Civil Law Rules of the People’s Republic of China, which before March 2017, adopted a two-year time bar for civil actions. This principle was subsequently amended after March 2017, to increase the two-year time bar to three years. The recent changes under the civil code have also prompted consideration of the time bar in domain disputes, although nothing is set in stone so far. While some might welcome the slight increase of the time bar, removal of the limitation altogether would perhaps be more in tune with other similar policies, such as the UDRP, which at the moment, does not prohibit a complainant from filing after a set period.
Under the CNDRP, case law has arguably been the main authority when looking at issues relating to the two-year time bar. The case of Leister Brands AV v. Chen Qiuheng DCN-1500641 is a particularly useful case on this topic, where the Panelist discussed the significance of a domain acquisition being akin to a new registration, as it requires similar processes and procedures. Following the case of Leister, there have been several follow-up cases, including Safenames’ most recent decision; Bulgari S.p.A v. 徐东彦 Case No. DCN-1700789. In this decision, the Panel discussed, at length, the applicability of the Leister case as well as other supporting factors. Such discussions included the trend adopted by WIPO’s Overview and the need for consistency in CNDRP decisions, even though the CNDRP, by nature, does not conform to following case law as precedent in domain disputes.
Overall, we can begin to see how attitudes are changing in the CNDRP, meaning that complaining parties have more scope to file complaints, even if they exceed the two-year time bar. However, the issue remains that parties are barred from filing claims, even if there is a clear case of abuse in the registration or use of a domain name. This author, in particular, sympathises with a lot of brands who face egregious cases of cybersquatting, but due to the two-year bar, cannot proceed with a complaint.
Only time will tell, whether or not complaints under the CNDRP will give more leniency to these type of cases. For now, brand owners can take some solace, knowing that a claim is not written off forever if it has been registered for longer than two years. A suggestion for brand owners at this stage would be to monitor infringing domain names which exceed the time bar to see if the Registrant details change hands later on.
If you need advice on the two-year time bar, or domains involving the .CN extension, you can contact our Brand Protection department or your Account Manager for further information.
On October 18, 2017, Safenames successfully recovered the domain name of a local fostering company which had been held for ransom by a notorious cybersquatter.
The Respondent, who was later exposed as WESLEY PERKINS of Birmingham UK in a recent article published by the Telegraph, found Mr Perkins to be behind numerous aliases and fake offshore companies that had been used to buy up the domains of many established businesses including ROLEX and ExxonMobil.
Littleacornsforstering.com was one such domain, which was inadvertanetly lost by its original owners who operated a fostering agency from the website. After rejecting Mr Perkins attempts to blackmail the fostering agency in to a sale and exhausting all other means, Safenames were instructed to file a UDRP complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Micah Ogilvie is head of legal at Safenames Limited and manages the IP department. He has advised both global enterprise clients and smaller e-commerce and internet companies on brand protection, domain name dispute proceedings and cases of trademark infringement on the Internet. He has represented companies in more than 100 disputes through various international arbitration bodies, including the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the Czech Arbitration Court and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. Safenames is a leading global domain name registration company that specialises in corporate domain portfolio management and online brand protection services.
Safenames were able to succesfully establish the fostering company’s legal right to the domain, despite having no registered trademarks at the time of dispute and an abusive pattern of conduct on the part of Mr Perkins.
It is important to note that the domain industry is primarily made up of respectable investors, however the panel’s decision does beg the question of whether more can be done by national laws to criminalise the activities of serial cybersquatters. Conservative MP and chairman of the digital, culture and sport select committee, Damian Collins, has called for an “urgent review” to combat this level of extortion and offer more protection for British businesses.
Although brand management presents many challenges for brand owners, Micah Ogilvie, who is head of legal services at Safenames, believes brands can do more to protect themselves from unscrupulous domain investors who prey on their intellectual property.
“Although advertising budgets are often regarded as a necessity to help build a brands reputation, maintaining that reputation through a brand protection strategy is often overlooked. Budgets for brand protection are often minimal or non-existent and many brand owners adopt a reactive approach.
The notion of constructive notice derives from US trademark law, specifically §1072 (Section 22 of the Lanham Act). In essence, as soon as someone has registered rights in and to a particular word, phrase or logo, the rights will be in the public domain, and everyone from the US is deemed to have notice of those specific rights.
“The doctrine of constructive notice is rarely applied in Policy proceedings, WIPO Overview, paragraph 3.4. The exceptions to this general rule almost always occur in cases in which standard indicia of cybersquatting are present, Kellwood Company v. Onesies Corporation, WIPO Case No. D2008-1172 – not the case here”.
“In this day and age of the Internet and advancement in information technology, the reputation of brands and trade marks transcends national borders. A cursory Internet search would have disclosed the ALL SAINTS trademark and its extensive use by the Complainant. As such, a presumption arises that the Respondent was aware of the Complainant and its trade mark when it registered the disputed domain name.
In conclusion, one can now see how the principle of constructive notice is applied outside of the US in domain disputes. However, factors such as geographic distance and the reputation of a trade mark in a given territory are still important when making assumptions of a Respondent’s knowledge.
If you need advice on “constructive notice” with domain disputes, you can contact our legal department (legal@safenames.net), or if you are an existing customer, please contact your Account Manager for further information.

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