Seinfeld Isn’t Laughing regarding JerrySeinfeld.com
Comedian files arbitration request to get hands on domain name.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld or his management firm or Sony is going following the domain name JerrySeinfeld.com, right now owned by Anything.com LTD. The case commenced on April 22 and will be handled by National Arbitration Forum.
At first glance, JerrySeinfeld.com looks like a fan site. It has the slogan “An Unofficial Fan site” and includes a bio of the comedian and links to a couple other sites devoted to Seinfeld. It also includes the disclaimer:
“THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL FAN SITE. THIS SITE IS NOT ENDORSED OR AUTHORIZED BY JERRY SEINFELD OR BY ANY PARTY OTHER THAN THE OWNER OF THIS SITE.”
But if you click any of the links on the left side of the page, you quickly see that this is a glorified parking page (see update below). All of the links lead to a secondary page with nothing but ads. Clever approach, but I doubt the panel will look at the site as anything but a parking page.
Anything.com is no stranger to the UDRP arbitration process. In 2002 it lost control of Flamingo.com to casino operator Park Place Entertainment. In 2000 it held onto the domains KIS.com, EZStreet.com, and VZ.com. A quick review suggests it hasn’t been hit with a complain in a while, at least under its main firm name.
The official Sony web site for Seinfeld’s famous “Seinfeld” TV show is Seinfeld.com.
[UPDATED 4/28/08 1PM CST: The attorney for Anything.com notes that the firm will voluntarily give the domain name to Seinfeld. Also, the ad links have been removed.]
