Re: Savin Corp beating up a family organization

[Dean Anderson <dean@av8.com>]

I'm very sympathetic, but there was just a law passed regarding trademarked domain names. The trademark owner wins by decree.  At least, that's what I understood from the news reports. What is unclear from the news report is what happens to "good faith" registrants.

		--Dean

Around 08:35 PM 11/1/1999 -0500, rumor has it that W. David Samuelsen said:
>What idiots at Savin Corp are doing to this family?? They could use
>some help! See following message.
>
>W. David Samuelsen
>
>X-Message: #5
>Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 20:34:11 +0000
>From: Alan Savin <alan@savin.org>
>Subject: UPDATE-dispute re domain name 
>
>Firstly thank you for over 40 e-mail replies I have had to my original
>posting. To remind you and for those that missed it the first time
>around
>this is the story so far.
>
>Our family has the domain name "www.savin.org" named after our surname
>of
>SAVIN, we live in England. We received a letter from attorneys
>claiming
>infringement of the SAVIN trade mark of the Savin Corp. which is in
>the
>USA. They are asking for the domain name to be transfered to their
>client,
>which uses "www.savin.com". Our domain name has a web site reflecting
>our
>hobbies, including genealogy
>
>I received 100% support, with 95% saying more or less the same, that
>is;
>how dare Savin Corp. do this, ask for money in exchange if they
>persist
>(WHICH IS NOT OUR OBJECT AT ALL) otherwise ignore the approach.
>
>RECENT EVENT
>
>One of these replies included the extract below
>
>
>>The following is from USA Today 27/10/99:
>>
>>WASHINGTON - The House has voted to ban "cybersquatting", the pre-empting of 
>>Internet domain names with the aim of selling those names to companies or
>people 
>>with trademark associations to them. The legislation would bar the bad faith 
>>registration or trafficking in domain names that are identical to or
>confusingly 
>>similar to a distinctive trademark. It would also allow trademark owners
>to seek 
>>cancellation of an infringing domain name if they can prove they attempted
>but 
>>were unable to locate the owner of the name. Domain names are the addresses 
>>computer users enter to access a particular Web site. The administration
>opposes 
>>the legislation, saying it would be better to allow courts to develop a
>body of 
>>case law in the area. 
>>
>>© Copyright 1999 USA Today
>>
>
>The above puts a different light on the situation now, especially the
>phrase "it allows trademark owners to seek cancellation of an
>infringing
>domain name if they can prove they attempted but were unable to locate
>the
>owner of the name"
>
>This would appear to force us to respond or possibly lose our domain
>name. 
>
>WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANY FURTHER COMMENTS. Especially any further
>news
>in respect of this proposed legislation as here in England it has not
>been
>mentioned in our media at all. 
>
>Thank you
>Alan Savin
>
>alan@savin.org
>
>Maidenhead UK
>
>
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