TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Apple in Cybersquatting Fight Over ITunes Website

Apple in Cybersquatting Fight Over ITunes Website

Lisa Minter (lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com)
Wed, 8 Dec 2004 16:04:35 EST

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. computer giant Apple is locked in a
cybersquatting battle with a 22-year-old British Internet whiz kid
over the itunes.co.uk Web Site, a domain the company wants for its
chain of iTunes online music stores.

Benjamin Cohen, who joined the Internet's millionaires club after
founding the Web Site Sojewish when he was just 17, said on Wednesday
he registered itunes.co.uk during the dotcom boom in November, 2000,
and wouldn't give it up without a fight.

He said Apple applied to trademark "iTunes" in October 2000, but that
the application wasn't made public until December.

"In the course of discussions with Apple they offered to buy the
domain, but it was a very low offer, and we couldn't accept it," Cohen
told Reuters.

"They have issued legal proceedings to gain control of it, but we
registered it fairly and squarely, and we don't feel we've done
anything wrong. We're not going to back down," he added.

A spokeswoman for Apple said the company was not commenting on the
case.

Surfers logging on to itunes.co.uk arrive at Cohen's company
QuickQuid.com, an online loyalty site that rewards surfers for
shopping. He runs the company from his home.

Apples iTunes store, paired with its popular iPod music player, is the
market-leading online music store in the United States, but its entry
into Europe was delayed by red tape.

Apple launched iTunes in Britain, France and Germany in June.

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