Forbes Russia picks up domain name — and $300,000 — in dispute.
Forbes Media and Axel Springer Russia, the group that publishes the Forbes magazine and Forbes Online in Russia under license from Forbes Media, have won a case against a cybersquatter for the domain Forbes.ru. Not only did the plaintiffs pick up the domain name, but the court also awarded it a $300,000 fine from the defendant, travel company Landmark VIP Service.
According to an article on Forbes Russia’s web site, the $300,000 is the highest fine ever levied by Russia’s arbitration court for the unlawful use of a trademark in the domain name. Recently, Forbes.ru has been showing travel ads, including for a cruise to Antartica, the story notes.
Forbes Russia has been using the domain name ForbesRussia.ru as an alternative, but hopes to have the Forbes.ru domain name in its hands soon.
Michael Bilde says
It just shows that although there are a lot of money to be made in ccTLDs, you also have to be careful with regards to local regulations and risks.
Sumit Bahl says
Indeed.