UN decision on Fifa domain name

Fifa's marketing company called in the U.N. to referee a domain name row

The marketing company for world soccer's governing body, Fifa, won the rights to the Internet domain name fifa-world-cup.com in a new ruling

An arbitrator for the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation ordered that the address be handed to ISL Marketing of Lucerne, Switzerland.

The domain name had been registered by Jonathan Nutt, of Sidcup, England.

In its submission to the arbitrator, ISL said the name was registered with the intention of selling it to the highest bidder.

Nutt told ISL he had registered more than 100 names and was constructing a website where they would be sold by auction.

He said he had received an offer for the domain name, and asked what ISL and Fifa were prepared to pay, adding that he believed the name was very valuable.

Expenses

Nutt later said he had also registered the name fifaworldcup2002.co.uk and asked for a bid for both names.

That address was not covered by the U.N. ruling.

ISL said it offered $2,000 to cover out-of-pocket expenses, but Nutt did not reply.

Arbitrator Henry Olsson said Nutt submitted no response to the ISL complaint.

He ruled that Nutt had no legitimate right to the domain name.

Anyone can register an Internet address for about $100.

Before the low-cost U.N. procedure to curb "cybersquatting" was introduced last year, a corporation might have had to spend thousands of dollars to buy the rights to an address or hundreds of thousands of dollars in litigation to stop its use.