FYI...In case you havent already seen this >AFILIAS TO CHALLENGE QUESTIONABLE SUNRISE REGISTRATIONS IN .INFO > > > >NEWTOWN, PA - August 15, 2001 - Afilias has successfully begun its Sunrise >Period, an early registration opportunity for trademark holders worldwide >to protect their marks in the new .INFO domain. We have been very >encouraged by registrations to date, which include many of world's top brands. > >As Sunrise proceeds, it appears that some registrants have attempted to >circumvent the eligibility requirements by posing as trademark holders and >registering names in advance of the public opening on September 12. >Afilias today announced plans to directly challenge certain registrations >by using the established Sunrise Challenge process or other mechanisms >already in place. > >Hal Lubsen, Afilias' CEO, said, "It is unfortunate that some individuals >have misused the Sunrise period in an attempt to abuse the process. >However, Afilias is committed to doing its part to maintain the integrity >of the .INFO domain, and believes that our direct challenge to >questionable names will be in the best interest of both trademark holders >and the general public." > >Roland LaPlante, Afilias' Chief Marketing Officer added, "Afilias >specifically adopted the Sunrise Process to ensure that legitimate >trademark holders had an opportunity to register trademarks in the .INFO >domain before the public. That process is working well. However, the >absence of a globally coordinated trademark database precludes us from >being able to pre-screen and verify the trademark information submitted, >thus enabling some potentially illegitimate registrations. Recognizing >this potential, we partnered with the World Intellectual Property >Organization (WIPO), a leader in intellectual property protection, to >design a Sunrise Challenge process to address this situation." > >The Sunrise Challenge process offers trademark holders the opportunity to >quickly and easily recapture their mark. In the process, anyone can >challenge a registration through WIPO. When challenged, the registrant in >question must provide proof of their eligibility or forfeit the name and >their minimum 5-year registration fee. This is a streamlined approach >versus the traditional UDRP process. > >Under the plan announced today, Afilias will allow the Challenge Process >to take its course, enabling legitimate trademark owners to obtain their >names. If suspicious names remain, they will be reviewed for challenge >directly by Afilias. If successfully challenged, they will be equitably >returned to public availability after the completion of the Sunrise >Challenge period. > >This is the first time in the history of the domain name system (DNS) that >applications have been accepted and processed using a Sunrise mechanism to >help protect intellectual property from cybersquatting and other abuses. >We are grateful for the assistance of the Internet community, which has >provided specific examples of questionable registrations. > >Afilias has now successfully processed four queues of Sunrise >registrations. We remain highly confident in the process as we migrate to >real-time registration for the balance of the Sunrise Period. Afilias >encourages all trademark holders to act before August 27 to take advantage >of this unique opportunity to register their mark in the .INFO domain. A >list of worldwide Afilias-authorized registrars to which requests can be >submitted can be found at ><http://www.afilias.info/cgi-bin/registrar-list.cgi>http://www.afilias.info >/cgi-bin/registrar-list.cgi.
