IP: Domain Name Registration Legal Action

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> From today's Communications Daily:


      FTC asked Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Thurs. to investigate Internic Software for possible violation of
U.S. law by copying domain name registration role of
similar-sounding company and misleading consumers seeking to
register Web addresses --at least 2,000 so far.  FTC letter said
Internic is "copying" official domain name registration service of
Network Solution and its InterNIC unit, set up to avoid issuing
duplicate Web addresses.  Network Solutions charges $100 for 2-year
registration, while Internic Software charges $250 for broker
services, agency said.  FTC said Internic "copycat" site registers
names by using Network Solutions, which has sole authority through
National Science Foundation to register .com, .org, .net, .edu and
.gov domain names.  Network Solution told FTC it hasn't received
payments from Internic for majority of new names registered, agency
said.  "Use of a domain name virtually identical to that of the
official domain registration site, combined with the provision of
nearly identical domain registration services to those offered by
Network Solutions, is likely to create a false impression that the
site is owned and operated by Network Solutions," FTC opinion
letter said.  Disclaimers on Internic's site are inadequate "to
cure this false impression," FTC said.