RE: [wg-b] What WG-B is supposed to be doing (RE: Arbitration)

["Roeland M.J. Meyer" <rmeyer@mhsc.com>]

> Behalf Of Randy Bush
> Sent: Friday, September 24, 1999 6:46 AM
>
> >>  There already appear to be plenty of "business opportunities" for
> >> "entrepreneurs" who steal variations of famous marks at  their own
peril.
> >> Bell Atlantic submitted documented evidence of the more  than 1000
domain
> >> name infringements we experienced for two of our marks in  .com,
.net and
> >> .org.
> > Do you have this online? URL?
>
> hint: i am told that bell atlantic has been trying to
> convince courts that anything with "bell" in infringes on their famous
mark.

Aside from the fact that AT&T may argue with that move, I don't see the
relevance. The issue is "famous marks" and I simply can't find a legal
definition for them. What's a famous mark and what isn't? If I, as a
registry, deny a registration, on what grounds do I base such a denial?

To put it more clearly, if the makers of Olymia Beer (old weak dish
suds, I know) want a web-site called OLYMPIA.COM, and the Olympic
Committee has a hissy-fit over it, why should I get stuck in the middle?
I don't like the beer, nor do I like the Olympic Committee. The beer is
weak and the OC rots on trees. It gets worse with gTLDs.