Goo Goo Dolls win domain dispute over typo name

[RJ]

Tue May 27, 2003 11:33 AM ET By Lars Brandle

LONDON (Billboard) - The Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ruled in favor of the Goo Goo Dolls after the act launched proceedings against a pornographic Web site with a "confusingly similar" domain name.

The Goo Goo Dolls filed a complaint March 4 against John Zuccarini of the Bahamas, who had registered a site at googoodols.com, a practice known as "typo-squatting." His site automatically linked to another with sexually explicit content and advertisements.

WIPO declared that the domain name was registered in bad faith. Zuccarini -- who has been involved in similar cases in the past, according to WIPO -- was ordered to transfer the name to the Goo Goo Dolls.
source: Reuters/Billboard

 

[Jeff]

Ouch! :o

Errr ... rock on!?! This was probably a "slam dunk" for the complainants, I dunno.
Thanks for these updates, RJ.

 

[RJ]

Really this case isn't that remarkable, other than it involves a famous rock band. Those are the the cases that always hit the mainstream news.

What is kind of funny though is Zuccarini's response as to why he owned the domain.

... the Respondent asserts that there is absolutely no evidence that Respondent registered the Domain Name (in bad faith)...

Respondent simply registered what he believed to be the misspelling of a common term which is slang for women (i.e. "dolls") making "goo goo" eyes...

"Goo goo dolls" is composed of the common term "goo goo," as in "goo goo eyes," and "dolls," Respondent, thus, has a legitimate interest in the disputed Domain Name.

The judge didn't buy into that explanation.

 

[Jeff]

Originally posted by -RJ-
The judge didn't buy into that explanation.

Noooo. :p

LMAO.

 

[crinthia]

wow I always hate it when I get a porno site when I am looking for something else!

 

[adill420]

Originally posted by crinthia
wow I always hate it when I get a porno site when I am looking for something else!

LOL..welcome to the club

 

[koffee]

..is there anybody who likes their music? i was very addicted to 'slide', isn't it a nice song?

 

[Alissa]

some songs of them are cool! but i don't like them

 

[koffee]

yeah.. if you hear a song 5 times it drives you crazy lol

 

[Alissa]

hehe and they are kinda very boring