19 August 2002 | Author: Heather Luscombe

Robbie Williams wins cybersquatting case

Ex Take That singer and self-confessed egomaniac, Robbie Williams has today won a court battle to force the return of a domain name.

The domain name www.robbiewilliams.info was registered on 21st Sept 2001 by a Howard Taylor, in Southampton and until recently carried links to Oasis sites.

The United Nations copyright agency ruled that Mr Taylor has no legal right to use the name and it should therefore be handed over to Robbie Williams.

He had claimed that he wanted to run the site as an unofficial Robbie Williams fan club, despite the site carrying little info on Robbie Williams.

The UN World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), which protects patents and trademarks, ruled the name was virtually identical to the official Robbie Williams sites.

It also said Mr Taylor had not demonstrated any rights or legitimate interest in the site and that it had been registered in bad faith.

Robbie Williams joins other celebs who have taken cybersquat issues to court, including Julia Roberts, Billy Connolly and Sting.

The address now redirects to a Google search for 'Robbie Williams'

www.robbiewilliams.com
www.robbiewilliams.info

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