April 29, 2011
CentralNic, .US.ORG Reserve Olympics Trademark and More to Protect Against Cybersquatters and Brand Abuse
.US.ORG today announced its decision to place the well-known Olympic trademarks on a reserved names list rather than offering them for sale on a first-come first-served basis, as has previously been the tradition in the domain name industry.
Just as .US.ORG represents a more responsible and ethical online space, the Olympic movement embodies such values as peace, development, education, health and equality, and the special status of Olympic trademarks has been recognized in legislation, treaties and legal precedent worldwide. On that basis, CentralNic, the registry behind .US.ORG and 25 other domain extensions, approached and consulted with the counsel of the International Olympic Committee and the US Olympic Committee, and agreed to reserve the Olympic trademarks in all of its domain extensions.
"We are delighted to announce this as the first step in protecting the special status of trademarks recognized by worldwide statute" , said Ben Crawford, CEO, CentralNic.
Unlike the trademarks of virtually all other non-profit organizations, the Olympic marks are protected worldwide by special legislation. Moreover, CentralNic will also reserve the marks of any other prominent international non-profit organizations that currently enjoy worldwide statutory protection. By reserving the corresponding .US.ORG domain for such international trademarks, CentralNic will help prevent knock-off sites, traffic diversion, cybersquatting, brand abuse and the myriad other problems trademark owners typically endure in gTLD and ccTLD domains.
ABOUT .US.ORG
.US.ORG is a new domain extension for organizations, projects, websites and people with a higher purpose than simply maximizing profits. As a leader in the ethical and responsible use of domain names, .US.ORG will be announcing a number of innovations in such areas as: trademark protection, security and stability, environmental responsibility, and bridging the "digital divide".
ABOUT CENTRALNIC
The only registry to launch two new domain extensions in 2010, CentralNic manages a growing number of domain extensions, including .US.COM, .LA, UK.COM in the United Kingdom, .EU.COM in Europe, and .CN.COM in China. One of the longest-running domain registries in the world, CentralNic is the Registry Service Provider of choice for new domains requiring proven secure and stable technology, global distribution, and expertise in both marketing and the domain industry.
Before joining CentralNic and launching .US.ORG, CEO Ben Crawford was Executive Producer for the Olympic Games’ official website Olympics.com, and a founding executive of two of the world’s leading cultural websites, artinfo.com and MutualArt.com.
