Even the big guys can’t win them all. A small ISP in southern Brazil
this week triumphed in a lawsuit filed by America
Online which contested the Brazilian provider’s use of domain name
aol.com.br.
The court ruled that since Brazil’s America On Line registered the name
first, it doesn’t have to surrender the domain name to its US rival, according to published reports. AOL had sued the ISP alleging trademark infringement.
The decision may touch off concerns about international cybersquatting as many Internet giants begin to launch overseas operations, only to find that country-level version of the domain name is already registered.
The AOL domain is registered in 60 countries, and not all of these
registrations were made by the American company, according to reports.
AOL, which is currently marketing its Brazilian services under br.aol.com, said it may appeal the Sao Paolo ruling.