Author wins cybersquatting case

Published December 5, 2002

GENEVA, Dec 4: Michael Crichton, American author of best-sellers “Jurassic Park” and “Rising Sun”, has won a case against an alleged cybersquatter, arbitrators said on Tuesday.

The ruling, announced by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), ordered the Internet domain name be transferred to Crichton after ruling that he had common law trademark rights.

The defendant, Canadian-based internet group Alberta Hot Rods, failed to prove rights or legitimate interests in the domain name, which it registered five years ago, according to the three neutral arbitrators appointed by the United Nations agency. The group, which uses domain names to lead Internauts to its website, previously lost a cybersquatting case brought by American actor Kevin Spacey in the United States.—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....
Soft on traders
08 Jun, 2026

Soft on traders

THE Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200m has been designed as a ‘pragmatic...
Ceasefire in name
Updated 08 Jun, 2026

Ceasefire in name

Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce that was supposed to halt the conflict in April, yet neither appears willing to abandon negotiations altogether.
Damaged childhoods
08 Jun, 2026

Damaged childhoods

CHILD abuse is so prevalent that the UN ranked Pakistan as the least safe country for children. Even so, more than...