YouTube Chases Down YouTube.net
Google files arbitration for Youtube.net.
Google (GOOG) and its YouTube division have filed for arbitration under UDRP to get control of the YouTube.net domain name.
YouTube.net’s whois record right now shows an owner in China, and the domain appears to have bounced around between a couple different owners over the past year. When this happens, and especially when the whois information may be bogus, trademark owners have few options to get control other than through UDRP.
YouTube.com was registered in February 2005. (Was it really that recent?). YouTube.net was registered in August of that same year.
Why is Google going following this domain now? When the firm went following GoogleAdwords.com recently, Google spokesperson Jon Murchinson told me “We seek to recover domain names that are likely to confuse users into thinking that sites are authorized by Google. Our first step is to contact the domain registrant to express our concerns and seek a voluntary transfer of the domain name.â€
Of course the need to get this domain in its hands is exacerbated by the content showing up on the .net version right now. It’s an adult lander provided by TrafficZ.
