Issue 145 - 30th January

Priority registration period for .hk second level is now open

Hong Kong domain names are opening up at the second level, meaning you will be able to register directly under the .hk suffix (e.g. companyname.hk). Previously it was only possible to register third level domains such as companyname.com.hk.

The first phase of this introduction is the 'priority registration period', which started on January 26th, 2004. During this period, the Registry will only be accepting applications from holders of Hong Kong trademark or service marks for domain names with an exact match to the trade/service mark. If you believe you qualify for a .hk domain name during this period, please contact sales@netnames.com.

The 'priority registration period' will run until March 19th, 2004. It is expected that the second level .hk domains will open for live registrations in May 2004.

Boy swaps domain name for Xbox

A Canadian teenager by the name of Mike Rowe, who had set up a website using the domain name mikerowesoft.com, has agreed to give it up in exchange for some Microsoft merchandise, including an Xbox console.

After discovering the domain name and deciding it was potentially confusing for its customers, the software giant had originally offered him $10 to take it down. Mike Rowe had refused this offer and demanded Microsoft pay him $10,000 to take down the site, which he set up as a forum for designers and programmers.

However, an out of court settlement was reached last Friday, which reportedly included expenses for setting up a new website, an Xbox console and some complimentary training for Microsoft certification.

WIPO Case: carmenelectra.com

Former Baywatch star Carmen Electra was awarded control of the domain name carmenelectra.com by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), who sided on January 15th, 2004 with the actress's complaint that it was being used to divert surfers to a commercial website.

This case shows the continuing trend in favour of famous names and brand owners when cases are brought before a WIPO panel. In 2003, the WIPO arbitration centre received 1,100 cases about disputed domain names such as pepsi-smash.com, calvinklein-watches.com, piercebrosnan.com and jrrtolkien.com. Of the cases brought before an arbitrator, approximately 80% have ruled in favour of the trademark holder or celebrity.