20/06-07   -   Press releases

Melbourne IT CBS helps Endemol secure disputed bigbrother.com domain

Melbourne IT Corporate Brand Services (CBS) today announced that it has assisted Endemol Nederland B. V., producers of the global Big Brother programme, to secure the bigbrother.com domain name which has been owned by another party since October 2004.

The bigbrother.com domain was retrieved for Endemol by Melbourne IT CBS Online Brand Infringement Services (OBIS) team in cooperation with the Endemol legal department following a successful Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) case decided in April 2007 before a panellist appointed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

The complexity of managing, monitoring and protecting online brands is escalating and, at the same time, global internet usage is growing rapidly with more than 1 billion* people worldwide now using the internet for business and personal pursuits. For companies big and small, ensuring that their valuable online assets are secure has never been more critical, said Stina Molander, Senior Legal Specialist with Melbourne IT CBS.

Endemol is a long-standing and valued client of Melbourne IT CBS. We have been in the business of online brand protection for more than 10 years and have assisted our clients in resolving numerous domain name disputes, with a 96% success rate. Our approach is to complete comprehensive research on the background to the dispute before taking further action. By doing this we not only determine whether our client has a case, but we can uncover relevant facts about the other party that will help us to make our case, such as pattern of conduct or prior involvement in disputes, Ms Molander said.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the incidence of cybersquatting is on the increase with more than 1,800 domain name disputes filed in 2006, an increase of 25% over the previous year. So far in 2007, almost 950 disputes have been registered.

"Big Brother has been sold to 39 countries and is set to be broadcast this year in over 20 territories around the world including the USA, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Pan-Africa, Argentina, Brazil and Australia. We were concerned that this key top level domain name was not part of our online brand portfolio and that we were not able to control the content that was displayed at the site. We had made several attempts to negotiate with the party who owned the bigbrother.com domain name without success, so we are very pleased that after engaging Melbourne IT Corporate Brand Services to help us we have now secured a critical part of Big Brother s global online identity, said Benjamin van Werven, Legal Counsel at Endemol International B.V.

The bigbrother.com domain name was recovered for Endemol using the UDRP process, which was adopted by ICANN in 1999 to help to address the conflict between trademarks and domain names.

Other Online Brand Infringement Services offered by Melbourne IT CBS include proactive domain name, text and logo monitoring which clients can use to assess usage of their products, brands and services around the world. Melbourne IT s proactive monitoring service analyses and recommends actions in order to protect clients online brand position and minimise risk of brand damage.

###

About Melbourne IT
Melbourne IT Limited (ASX:MLB) is a world leader in the supply of domain name registration and other online solutions with a strong commitment to the delivery of high value internet services and web-based solutions to organisations of all sizes across the globe. Melbourne IT was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1999 and has a network of offices in locations across the world. www.melbourneit.com

About Melbourne IT Corporate Brand Services
Melbourne IT Corporate Brand Services (CBS) is a key division of Melbourne IT which assists commercial enterprises and government organisations throughout the world to manage and protect their brands online. www.melbourneitcbs.com

bigbrother.com Administrative Panel Decision
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2007/d2007-0194.html