Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[butterfly111]

LOL--Goldmansex.com loses domain game
By Riva Froymovich
September 6, 2006
http://www.investmentnews.com/news.cms?newsId=2027
Goldmansex, the online adult entertainment portal for business travellers, will have to transfer its domain name to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. of New York, the National Arbitration Forum ruled.

In July, the global investment bank filed a complaint against the Netherlands-based company claiming that the domain name goldmansex.com may cause confusing associations with the firm.


"I cannot imagine that a [potential] client of Goldman Sachs would misspell the domain name into 'goldmansex,'" the website operator, Rob Muller, said at the time.

"I also find it hard to believe," he continued, "that GS clients would think this is a new kind of product line of GS."

"In that case, they really have to work on their corporate image," said Mr. Muller.

"This domain name dispute centers on an attempt by respondent to recharacterize the domain dispute in the instant case as a trademark dispute, when in fact, the real issue is the respondent's bad faith registration and use of the disputed domain name," the NAF said in a statement.

NAF, based in Minneapolis, ordered the to domain transfer by Aug. 31.

Goldmansex responded that, "The National Arbitration Forum completely ignored their own regulations and the existence of a registered Benelux trademark in the domain. The NAF ordered the domain name transferred to Goldman Sachs despite the ownership by Goldman Advertising Services of a valid trademark in the domain name."

The website is no longer active.

Mr. Muller's attorney, Bernard C. Dietz is investigating the possibility of an appeal, according to a statement issued by Goldmansex.com.