Google Wins Rights to Typos   - 3,472 Views,

This just in: Google wins rights to typos. Seriously.

According to their recent press release, the National Arbitration Forum (NAF)
has issued a ruling giving to Google the rights to the Internet domain names “googkle.com”, “ghoogle.com”, “gfoogle.com” and “gooigle.com”.

Google had filed a complaint “asserting legal rights to the Web addresses bearing close resemblance to Google.com.”

Now, these domains all had one owner, Sergey Gridasov, and the evidence is that he was “using the disputed domain names to direct Internet users to Web sites that attempt to download viruses, trojan horses
and spyware to the users’ computers.”

Further, the arbitrator for the National Arbitration Forum found that “Gridasov did not have legitimate rights to the Web addresses, and the Web addresses were confusingly similar to Google’s trademark rights to its own name.”

Well, duh. That was the whole point, of course.

For those interested, the decision is available online at http://www.arb-forum.com/domains/decisions/474816.htm.