[news] Narnia domain name

[Nikki]

Have anyone seen this http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061600444.html or this http://www.newslocale.org/sci%10tech/stnews/scottish_family,_c_s_lewis%27s_estate_battle_over_narnia_domain_name_200806162035.html?

Basically, a scottish couple bought a domain name for their kid who is a big fan of the Chronical of Narnia but Walt Disney demands the domain name back.

I hope they find a solution soon since they don't have money to hire a lawyer.

 

[rob]

narnia.mobi , why would anyone buy their kid that as a present!?

Likewise their wife another domain?!

it's currently displaying Narnia-related mobile ads from domain parking agency Sedo, in the week of the movie's release

Dad buys kid trademark name , in same timeframe of film release, and its parked on Sedo for the kid so he can earn some pennies. Sounds normal to me....

 

[rob]

Seems the same bloke runs poetryzoo Ltd , which has poetryzoo.com - again parked.

Likewise, the dad quoted runs www.saville-ferguson.co.uk , which seems to be a PR style company of sorts? Perhaps .mobi have hired them , get the story out there and people will think 'whats a mobi' ?

 

[Allie]

I never understand why at the start big companies don't buy up all the tlds of domain names relating to their trademarks. They certainly have the money to do so, and it only garners them bad publicity when something like this happens. In fact, I would go so far as to say that they should be obliged to do this in order to show performance on behalf of their trademarks.

 

[scooter]

transferred
BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh, East and Fife | Family lose Narnia web name fight

.

 

[stevebrowne]

For all of those lawyers claiming that the family were just sponging off the name of Narnia, let's all bear in mind that the person who actually created Narnia, CS Lewis, died in 1963.

That's 45 years ago.

What has the "CS Lewis Estate" added to "Narnia" for the last 45 years, since he died?

 

[scooter]

copyright :mrgreen:

 

[stevebrowne]

indeed. What gets me is that the huge free loading copyright business that feeds off of other people's work is constantly trying to extend things.

I have no problem with the creator of something and the immediate family living off the royalties until the day they die, but these big autonomous organisations that thrive once the original family are out the way? Hmmm...

 

[Skinner]

When will narnia and other work become public domain ?

its like 50 yrs isnt it ?

I remember Paul McCartney pissing and moaning that his millions wasnt enough and he wanted to expand the time frame, but don't recall all the details.

 

[retired_member12]

The WIPO decision regarding Narnia.mobi:

 

[Skinner]

Email for his kid my arse.

Between September 28 and 30, 2006, the Respondent also registered the following domain names: <drwho.mobi>, <mi5.mobi>, <mi6.mobi>, <middleearth.mobi>, <spooks.mobi>, <tardis.mobi>, <ovaloffice.mobi>, <pentagon.mobi>, <primeminister.mobi>, <scottishparliament.mobi>, <thequeen.mobi>, and <uspresident.mobi>. With the exception of <middleearth.mobi>, all of these domain names resolve to parked websites provided by Sedo.

He never had a leg to stand on with that.

I guess it was worth a try saying it was for his kids email, but unless his kids are into politics and need multiple emails he's fooked.

I wonder how many more of them copyright/tm owners are going to lynch him now.

 

[Beasty]

When will narnia and other work become public domain ?

its like 50 yrs isnt it ?

I remember Paul McCartney pissing and moaning that his millions wasnt enough and he wanted to expand the time frame, but don't recall all the details.

You are right, it used to be life plus 50 years; but now it is the life of the author plus 70 years. In the case of joint authors time starts to furn from the death of the last author. The idea is to give the next generation or so of the creator benefit from the work, before it falls into the public domain.

The Cliff Richard thing is a bit different - he is arguing about rights to performers (not the writers) of songs - which currently stands at 50 years from the date of the recording/performance.

 

[blacknight]

Email for his kid my arse.



He never had a leg to stand on with that.

I guess it was worth a try saying it was for his kids email, but unless his kids are into politics and need multiple emails he's fooked.

I wonder how many more of them copyright/tm owners are going to lynch him now.

The media will have missed that "minor" detail.

I heard them interviewed on the radio a couple of days before the WIPO decision was published and they were still trying to make out that they were just "victims" of a big nasty corporate.

What is interesting is their choice of defense counsel, Irish law firm Matheson Ormsby Prentice.

 

[grandin]

Pattern

If the registrant set about registering first names i.e. narnia was just one of a pattern and the content of the site wasnt taking unfair advantage of the TM then they would have a job getting the name. However the pattern of registration clearly showed that the registrant had rights holders rights in mind when registering domains. Personally I dont see why the registrant set about publicising the case when it was so weighed against him

Lee