Microsof.com judged cybersquatter

www.microsof.com is not a Web site owned by Microsoft. It is owned by Tarek

Ahmed of Brooklyn, New York. This week, the United Nation’s World Intellectual

Property Organization (WIPO) declared Ahmed a "cybersquatter" and

ordered the ownership of the site to be transferred to Microsoft.

Microsoft had filed the anti-cybersquatter claim with WIPO, which runs an

arbitration system that evicts cybersquatters. WIPO ruled that Ahmed had

registered the Internet address in bad faith and that the domain name was

confusingly similar to the trademark owned by Microsoft and that its owner had

no legitimate interest in the Internet address.

Companies that have won back their names from alleged cybersquatters through

WIPO include Christian Dior, Deutsche Bank and Nike. And Hollywood's

highest-paid actress, Julia Roberts, evicted a New Jersey man who had registered

juliaroberts.com.

In the latest case, WIPO said the microsof.com page had prominently displayed

the images of two Microsoft software boxes with the pitch: "We offer a wide

variety of software, hardware and valuable services to help your business

grow."

Microsoft had asked the holder of the page to transfer the address, saying

the name was confusingly similar to its own. But Ahmed refused, telling

Microsoft's representatives in an e-mail: "I am a user and developer of

Microsoft products. I am right now seeking funding for a development project

that will definitely enhance Microsoft's customer relations." He had also

asked Microsoft for an unspecified sum to sell the domain to the company.