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http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/12/13/more.itunes.domain.snags/

Apple hits snag with more iTunes domains

updated 12:40 am EST, Mon December 13, 2004

 

More iTunes domain snags


Apple has encountered more problems in Britain ( itunes.co.uk), does not currently own the rights to itunes.co.nz and itunes.com.au, which are currently registered by third parties. "The website itunes.co.nz was registered in October to Dunedin firm Dave Gee Online. Dave Goosselink, sole owner and operator of the firm, says the site was originally intended to be an affiliate of other online vendors for iPods. Since he couldn't interest any of the New Zealand online vendors, his site currently links to an iPod page on Amazon.com...The site itunes.com.au is owned by Capitol Bar and Lounge on the Gold Coast. Spokesman Cameron McCrae says the company registered the site two years ago and plans to use it to host an Internet radio site."


by MacNN Staff

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 industry, digital music/video

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Comments

  1. nitram_again

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2001

    0
    12/13, 07:41am | report spam | Reply |

    Move on!

    Apple, please move on from this. Apple UK doesn't have apple.co.uk, so we folk down under can probably live without itunes.com.au. We'll mailbomb the pricks later.

    JUST GET THE DAMNED STORE GOING!

    Please.

    No, I'm not tense. it's just the heat...

  1. ronjamin

    Baninated

    Joined: May 2002

    0
    12/13, 09:46am | report spam | Reply |

    CyberSquatters Suck But..

    This is the fault of Apple not hitting when the iron was hot. When they decided on iTunes in the USA, their Domain Registry department should have snapped up all of the iTunes domains world wide. They didn't. So, despite my disgust of the blatant behavior of the cybersquatters, the blame rests securely in Apples lap. Either pay them for the domains or find another solution.

    I would have to agree to the above, Apple should just quit whining and get on with it. NO ONE CARES about the domain, they only like iTunes. If a person goes to www.iTunes.com and selects their country, the redirect can be any domain.

  1. beeble

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2004

    0
    12/13, 10:22am | report spam | Reply |

    Trademarks

    iTunes is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. Each of these domains that is in question is an illegal use of Apple's trademark. Each of these countries has trademark treaties with the US so each of these companies/individuals doesn't have a legal leg to stand on unless they had the domain name before Apple registered iTunes as a trademark.

    It's that simple. It has nothing to do with when the store started operation as the UK guy is claiming and these two in NZ and Aus are clearly using the name illegally by trying to trade on the good name of Apple's trademark in the online music sector. I doubt whether any of these will actually make it to court because it's so open and shut but if they do, Apple will win each time. You can't go and use someone's trademark without their permission under any circumstances in anyway. It's simply illegal.

  1. ronjamin

    Baninated

    Joined: May 2002

    0
    12/13, 03:49pm | report spam | Reply |

    Trademark SNAFU

    The issue of whether it is a trademark is not relevant if the parties involved in Cybersquatting are engaged in something that is unrelated to the trademarked product. For instance, there are several companies out there that use the "i" before a product name. Does that mean that Apple has the sole trademark use of the "i" before a word? I think not.

    The issue of iTunes being used illustrates the stickyness and arbitrary nature of domain name usage. If this person is offering value-added items for use with iTunes (say, iPod excessories, etc), then the domain may remain with the current registrant.

    I'm sure Apple's lawyers will sort it out, but this, again, a stupid blunder on Apple's part of not covering their asses before they make something. After all, how much would it have cost to register all the relevant domain names in advance. Not an oversight. Frankly, I would fire the person in charge of registering domain names.

  1. FireWire

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Oct 1999

    0
    12/13, 04:20pm | report spam | Reply |

    cybersquatting = crime

    Cybersquatting should be a crime. Period.

    A company should not have to pay millions $ to register every possible domain name combinaison world-wide! Take QuickTime for exemple: should Apple registers quicktime.co.jp, quicktime.qc.ca.com.info etc just to prevent a scammer from using a TRADEMARKED word for personal profit?

    Once the word is yours, it should be yours even if someone change the ending.. Come on.. .com.au!!

  1. FireWire

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Oct 1999

    0
    12/13, 05:10pm | report spam | Reply |

    but...

    i must admit that Apple has become more and more inconsistant in its domain naming scheme. In late '90, Apple used a very good system, not unlike what's being used now for terminal command "default" (product.company.extension) : http://quickdraw.apple.com, http://cyberdog.apple.com, etc. This way, it was really easy to see what we wanted to see!

    A few years later, they changed for something more "standard", http://www.apple.com/productname. It was also fairly easy to navigate.

    the real problem now is that Apple decides in which category the product fit and provide no other possibility. for exemple, this morning I wanted to read some info on the AAC codec.

    The first time I wanted to read about AAC, I instinctively looked in the iTunes+iPod section. No luck: many mention, but no link. I then checked under QuickTime and voilà!

    So today, I thought the URL was www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg4/aac. It wasn't. The address for MPEG-2 is indeed www.apple.com/quicktime/products/mpeg2playback, but the one for AAC is really www.apple.com/mpeg4/aac. Go figure?

    And for country-specific website, before you could type www.apple.ca and stay there. Now it's redirected to www.apple.com/ca, while a strange apple.com.au (.com.au?? wasn't .au invented for that purpose??) is fully functionnal..
    /rant :P

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