1. Domains - The Conflicts Inevitable?
It is vital on an organization in the rising era of cyber world to enjoy a area in the cyberspace. This
will require its registration under a particular domain name and website. As each computer features
its domains for sale list own unique all-numeric Internet Protocol (IP) address and it's very complex
to bear in mind all numeric addresses which contains given rise into the essence of Domain Name
System (in brief: DNS). Thus, the systematization of recognition in the proxy names is known as the
"Domain Address System". Domain Names are virtually taking place of trademarks because
consumers often perceive them as performing, in electronic commerce, much the same role as
trademarks and trade-names have played in more traditional modes of business. Just like the
reasoning behind trademarks disputes had arisen between the companies planned to adopt a similar
domain name. As in the case of website address just one owner can possess a particular website
name. As opposed, identical trademarks can be belonging to numerous persons each time till they
have got some sort of differentiation, which mark them off from each other well. Beneath the current
Internet system, on the list of companies will struggle to include its trade mark in their domain,
since there can be merely one domain address.
The initial role of a domain name was certainly to give an address for computers on the net. But the
internet has continued to evolve coming from a mere ways of communication to some mode of
carrying on commercial activity. Together with the in crease of commercial activity over the
internet, a domain name is also used to be a business identifier. Therefore, the website name not
only may serve as an address for internet communication and also identifies the exact internet site.
During the commercial field, each domain owner provides information services, that happen to be
linked to such website address. Thus a domain name may have to do with provision of services
throughout the concept of Section 2(z) of the Trade Marks Act. And is chosen as an instrument of
commercial enterprise not only because it facilitates the ability of consumers to navigate the
Internet to find websites they are looking for, but also at the same time, serves to distinguish and
identify the business itself, or its goods or services, and to specify its corresponding online Internet
location, a domain name is easy to remember and use. Consequently a domain address as being an
address must, of necessity, be unique and peculiar and where your own domain name is employed in
experience of a business, value of maintaining a unique identity becomes critical.
India has a top level domain (TLD) (.in) as placed in the ISO Standards. The 2nd level subdomains
registered beneath the (.in) domain are (.ernet), (.nic), (.net), (.res), (.ac), (.co), (.gov), (.mil) and
(.org). The principal question, which normally, seeks answer from the question that "Whether
website names are similar to trademark, i.e., could the use of a website name comes down to a
trademark infringement? " Still it is not necessarily been clearly said by the judiciary that website
address is a kind of property. Regardless of whether website names are property, there remains
question with regards to ownership and control. Along with the traditional perception of property, a
domain name differs.
Now domain disputes has also hit the Indian Courts. The most serious dispute one of them is
"Cybersquatting", which is application of domain address from a person with neither trademark
registration, nor any inherent right, for the name. There are several ways that someone over the
internet could trigger the ire of an owner of an trademark as well as other type of intellectual
property. A web site could contain someone's registered trademark. A website could pluck a graphic
(a trademark, or maybe image) from various other site and incorporate the picture into a unique web
2. page. A website could contain material protected by copyright which has been copied from
elsewhere without having the permission from the copyright owner. Your own domain name may be
just like (however, not identical to) some trademark. Still another-level website address (e.g.
southcanara.bank.com) may be just like a famous website name. Or a second-level domain name
(e.g. southcanara.com) can be identical to some trademark.
Each trade mark domain dispute includes three parties i.e. the domain owner, the trademark owner,
as well as the registration authority. Each party has interests differing greatly from the ones from
the others. The website address owner; for your own domain name owner the predominant interest
is predictability. The website address owner doesn't want its domain address to generally be
removed precipitously any further than it wants to be evicted by reviewing the physical space or cut
off from electrical power. For numerous Internet-related businesses, in fact, physical eviction or lack
of electric power might be considerably more easily remedied than reduction in the website address.
To get a trademark owner you will find really two interest areas. If trademark infringement is going
on, in which case the trademark owner would like to get the infringement stopped right away; a
subsidiary concern is reducing the cost of getting it stopped, the first arises. The other interest area
arises solely as a consequence of the NSI policy, and necessitates the trademark owner that wishes
it will have a particular website address, and learns how the website address has been taken by
another person who isn't infringing the trademark owner's trademark. The domain registration
authority. The principle interest of a domain address registration authority (that there are many
hundred throughout the world, one for every single top-level domain) gets its task finished well. At
the moment, about 500,000 domains are already registered within the top-level domains
administered by NSI; in contrast each of the other website name registration authorities on the
planet combined probably take into account just a couple hundreds and hundreds of domains. Is also
interested in trying to avoid being sued, although this makes NSI's interests of particularly great
concern, and NSI has stated many times in recent months that it is not only interested in getting its
job done well.
In the case of Nokia Corporation vs. Uday Lakhani, when a person named Uday Lakhani, resident of
London registered an internet site along with the name of nokias.com. Throughout the hearing with
the case at WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Center, it was actually held that, the domain
"nokias.com" is confusingly comparable to Complainant's trademark "Nokia," that Respondent has
no rights or legitimate interests in respect of your website address knowning that Respondent's
domain address continues to be is and registered used in bad faith.
Before different High Courts in India, over the last few years the increased user of the internet has
led to a proliferation of disputes resulting in litigation. The Courts have consistently applied legal
requirements relating to passing off and away to website address disputes. Some disputes were
between trademark domain and holders name owners. Some were between domain name owners
themselves. These decision namely Rediff Communication Ltd. v. Anr and Cyberbooth. 2000
AIR(Bom) 27), Yahoo Inc. v. Akash Arora (1999 PTC (19) 201), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. v. Manu
Kosuri 2001 PTC 859 (Del), Tata Sons Ltd. v. Manu Kosuri 2001 PTC 432 (Del)), Acqua Minerals Ltd.
v. Shailesh Gupta and Anr. 2002 (24) PTC 35.5 (Del). In the case of Rediff Communication Ltd. v.
Cyberbooth, the Bombay High Court deliberate upon the Indian Jurisprudence on domains. The
Legal Court declared that "Your own domain name is far more than an online address which is
eligible to the equal protection as trade mark". In such a case the website address owner of
(rediff.com) filed a case seeking the injunction against the application of domain (radiff.com). The
court after considering the challenge claimed that there seemed to be a specific intention to deceive
and that is certainly the sole goal of registration by the defendants would be to trade in the goodwill
and reputation of your plaintiff's.
3. Before the Indian Courts probably was the case of Yahoo, the first case that came up! Inc. v. Akash
Arora through which an effort was developed to use the website address (yahooindia.com) for
Internet related services. Yahoo alleged that by using a quite similar domain format and name to
their domain name i.e. (yahoo.com), their needs to be a charge of deceit and "Passing off". Thus, by
examining the passing off doctrine, the legal court granted an injunction restraining the domain
users from dealing in service or goods online or underneath the trademark/domain name
(yahooindia.com).
In the matter of Titan Industries Ltd. v. Prashant Kooapati, the plaintiff had extensive use of
"Tanishq", although its trademark application in India was pending at the time of 1998 hearing. The
Delhi High Court enjoined the defendant from registering a name or operating any business, selling
and making offering for sale, advertisement plus in any manner dealing in goods, below the
name...or containing the said trade mark as n essential or dominant feature...over the internet or
otherwise.
Nonetheless the fact of Investsmart India Ltd. v. ICICI, an injunction was sought from the plaintiff
against the usage of domain (invetmartindia.com) because depending on them this resembles their
website address i.e. (investsmartindia.com). Court applied the way it is of Yahooindia and Rediff and
granted the injunction.
Looking upon the nature and number of cases which can be coming prior to the Indian Courts, you
will find a great demand for a correct law with respect to website address dispute like that of
'Concept of Dilution' in which the USA has.