Re: WPOR registers WTHT domain name

[Garrett Wollman <wollman>]

<<On Thu, 27 Aug 1998 12:55:08 -0400, Larry Weil <kc1ih@mediaone.net> said:

> But, is it a trademark violation?  Is an FCC assigned call sign
> registerable as a trademark?

Absolutely -- just ask the guy who owns WMIX in Mount Vernon, Ill.
He has several times sued other stations (including WWMX in Baltimore,
Md.) for service mark violations.

The difficulty is that Network Solutions, the government-contracted
monopoly provider of .com domain names, will not accept most legal
trademark claims -- only an official, paper registration of a
trademark with the US PTO or equivalent foreign body.  It's possible
to get a Liberian trademark on almost anything, and use that as
``proof'' to NSI of one's right to a particular name.  The
registration contract makes it somewhat difficult to take such cases
to court, although if I were Arnie Lerner that's precisely what I'd
do.

- -GAWollman

- --
Garrett A. Wollman   | O Siem / We are all family / O Siem / We're all the same
wollman@lcs.mit.edu  | O Siem / The fires of freedom 
Opinions not those of| Dance in the burning flame
MIT, LCS, CRS, or NSA|                     - Susan Aglukark and Chad Irschick

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