Protection of Domain Names

In today's highly competitive business environment, a domain name is one of the most valuable Intellectual Property (IP) assets a company could own. It is a matter of fact that yes; the choice of a domain name in this age of well-developed information technology is an important business decision as it leads to more publicity, popularity, and profitability of businesses. So, it is essential to wisely select your domain name and protect it irrespective of the fact whether you have been using it for years or have just acquired it.

Here are a few simple tips that owners should follow to protect their domain names:

1. Pay due attention to the administrative details

While registering the domain name, the owner should make sure that he or she is listed as the registrant, i.e., the legal owner of the domain name; the administrative contact, i.e., the individual who has the rights to alter the domain record; and the technical contact, i.e., the individual who will be responsible for addressing any technical issues with the domain name.

2. Always go for a reputable registrar

Large companies and organizations usually work with corporate registrars like MarkMonitor to manage their domain names efficiently. While using a retail registrar like GoDaddy or Network Solutions, the owner should ensure that the registrar is widely-known, responsive to the customers, and has been in the business for a long time.

3. Make sure to lock your domain name

Many domain name registrars provide the facility to lock, transfer lock, or register lock the domain name to prevent it from being deleted, modified, or transferred without the owner's prior and explicit permission.

4. Consider obtaining similar domain names

Domain name holders or owners should consider registering similar or alternative top-level domain names like .org, .biz, and .net along with the domain names based on either the misspellings or the plural version. 

5. Create a strong, unique password and protect it diligently

The owners should protect their domain names from unauthorized access by using a strong and unique password. Failing to do so could let someone else access your domain name, leading to its misuse.

6. Keep track of the renewal dates

The owners must establish a procedure to ensure that they do not unintentionally forget to renew the registration of their domain names. Owners with multiple domain names can even consider consolidating the renewal dates of all their domain names to make the process well organized. Additionally, renewing the domain name for multiple years could also prove to be beneficial.

7. Be aware of domain name scammers and others with evil intentions

Nowadays, unethical registrars often try to manipulate the domain name registrants into paying unnecessary charges. Therefore, the domain owners should be cautious while responding to any such suspicious emails from parties pretending to be the registrar of their domain names.

CONCLUSION

In today's internet age, your company's domain name not only adds credibility to your business but also builds your brand’s image by increasing its awareness. Domain names also help in generating traffic to your website, which results in more customers and better sales. Therefore, they must be efficiently protected to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, which might arise, leading to disruptions in business

Marvel Wins Copyright Lawsuit Over 'Iron Man 3' Poster

Marvel Entertainment has finally won a Copyright Infringement lawsuit after four years that alleged the company had copied the design of their movie poster for "Iron Man 3" from two comic book artists' work.

Horizon Comics Production, owned by comic book artists and brothers Ben and Ray Lai, had sued Marvel in 2016 by claiming that the official poster of Iron Man 3 was way too similar to the appearance of a character named Caliban from their comic book series called Radix. In their lawsuit, Horizon claimed that six employees of Marvel were well aware of Radix and the design of Caliban. Additionally, the Copyright Infringement Lawsuit read that two of those employees had even worked with the comic artists and influenced the creators of the Iron Man 3 poster.

However, J. Paul Oetken, a US District Judge in New York, in his ruling asserted that the poster was designed based on inspiration boards made by Marvel's creative team, images from the movies of Iron Man, and a photoshoot starring Robert Downey Jr. To this, Horizon argued by saying that the two works were strikingly identical, and even produced an expert report discussing the aspects of anatomical structures and camera views. But the judge sided with Marvel by pointing out the differences in the pose, placement of lights, and overall coloring.  At last, the judge stated that in contrast to Horizon's no virtual evidence of copying in the records, Marvel was successful in introducing a piece of unrebutted evidence, which showed its independent creation of the Iron Man 3 poster.

Ref: https://www.kashishworld.com/blog/marvel-wins-copyright-lawsuit-over-iron-man-3-poster/

Shinhan Card Patents Blockchain Credit System

Shinhan Card, South Korea's biggest credit card company, has been recently granted a patent for a blockchain-based payment system. According to the reports, the company has developed a blockchain-powered credit transaction process that offers credit card functionality along with setting spending limits, making monthly installments, and carrying out payments. On this achievement, the company's official stated that the services using the key features and functions of credit cards would be extended to this blockchain payments system. The official further mentioned that the blockchain payments system is a noteworthy advancement from the status quo, where most blockchain-based services were restricted to cash writing or user identification of online transactions.

The company has patented the blockchain system about 18 months after carrying out a feasibility study, which examined how efficient the technology would be in offering the kind of functionality sought initially.  

As per the reports, the patent could soon permit cardless credit transactions that would see many users of this the system in making payments via apps on their smartphones. With such kind of development, the traditional card system based on three intermediaries, namely, the credit card firm, value-added network service provider (VAN), and the payment gateway would be disrupted immensely.

This technology has come on the heels of a new platform set up by the parent company to the Shinhan Card, known as Shinhan Financial Group. This year in May, they had unveiled a new blockchain-based platform speeding up the loan process by verifying the necessary terms to approve credit lending.

Shinhan Card is now expected to expand the patent beyond South Korea and has already filed a Patent Application the US, Europe, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia. However, the status of those patents at this point is still unknown.

Kolhapuri Chappals get Geographical Indication Tag

The iconic Kolhapuri chappals have been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks across four districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka each. The acquired GI tag brands the footwear made in Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli, and Satara in Maharashtra, and Dharwad, Belgaum, Bagalkot, and Bijapur in Karnataka as "Kolhapuris." Additionally, it also prohibits using the term for various other similar products made in different parts of the country.

Many people believe that artisans from Maharashtra are the chief manufacturers of the Kolhapuri chappals; however, a large number of artisans from Karnataka are also manufacturing these chappals from quite a long time now. Nearly 5,000 people in the villages of Belagavi, Bagalkote, and Dharwad are engaged in making these chappals, but they have limited access to the flourishing international and domestic consumer markets.

As the Kolhapuri Chappals are an established icon, this move is further expected to improve the domestic and international prospects of the product. Moreover, the GI tag approval of this well-known footwear brand will protect the genuine artisans in Karnataka and Maharashtra against knock-offs.

The GI tag got sanctioned after a joint application was filed by the Dr. Babu Jagjeevan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation of Karnataka (LIDKAR) and the Sant Rohidas Leather Industries & Charmakar Development Corporation Limited of Maharashtra (LIDCOM). A previous attempt to acquire the GI tag by Maharashtra was rejected.

Kolhapuri Chappals Get Geographical Indication Tag

The iconic Kolhapuri chappals have been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks across four districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka each. The acquired GI tag brands the footwear made in Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli, and Satara in Maharashtra, and Dharwad, Belgaum, Bagalkot, and Bijapur in Karnataka as "Kolhapuris."

YouTube Now Requires Timestamps in Copyright Claims

On YouTube, Copyright Claims are a necessary evil. Undoubtedly, they play a significant role in helping the copyright owners claim their content if another person uses it without giving them the proper credits. However, the manual claiming tool had been creating a lot of problems for both the large and small creators alike. Therefore, YouTube has now announced a few necessary changes to the way copyright claims are handled for making things easier for both the parties.

Ref:https://www.kashishworld.com/blog/youtube-now-requires-timestamps-in-copyright-claims/

The first and foremost change involves the fact that the manual copyright claims will now require a timestamp to specify where the copyrighted content is used in a video. The video-sharing the website also stated that it would officially cancel a user's access to such manual claims if they repeatedly fail in providing accurate timestamps. YouTube will scan the uploaded videos against a database of files through which their content ID technology will find all the visual and audio matches. Any possible instances of Copyright Infringement found during that process will lead to automated generation of content ID claims or manual claims where the copyright owners themselves report a violation of their Intellectual Property.

The recipient of the manual claim will be able to see the timestamp specified by the reporting party. It will make it much easier for the recipient to figure out the part of the video to edit. If they decide to alter the video rather than disputing the claim, they can use the video editing tools in YouTube's Creator Studio section to remove the content associated with such claims. Creators can also mute the sounds in the time-stamped section or switch the music with the free songs in the Auto Library. Moreover, they can also trim the entire segment, if required.

YouTube stated that it would continue to make its editing tools more effective by eventually giving the creators a way to trim the claimed segments with a single click. YouTube’s Product Manager, Julian Bill, wrote that their work would not stop here as they would find even better ways to improve the copyright experience of creators while balancing the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the copyright owners.

USPTO Rejects Cardi B’s ‘Okurrr’ Trademark Application

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has rejected the trademark application of Cardi B, an American rapper and famous TV personality. Cardi B's attorney, Doreen Small, attempted to trademark her signature catchphrase, "Okurrr" earlier this year in March. Cardi B wanted to use this purported signature phrase on her merchandise, including T-shirts, undergarments, cups, and posters.

However, the USPTO declined the request by stating that the phrase is way too commonplace for obtaining Trademark Protection. It further mentioned that this phrase or expression is well-known and widely used by so many sources and conveys a well-perceived, ordinary concept or sentiment. It was likewise noted that the expression is commonly used in the drag community and by many famous celebrities as an alternate way of saying “Ok” or something that is said to assert when someone is being put in their place.

Till now, many other celebrities like the Kardashians had also used the same expression long before Cardi B filed its the trademark application, which the USPTO used as a justification for rejecting her request.

When the famous rapper appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” she said, “You know, it’s like a cold pigeon in the New York City” explaining the different versions of the phrase in her book depending on the situation. Moreover, during her cameo alongside Steve Carrell in Pepsi’s Super Bowl Commercial, she used the same phrase. Needless to say but even if the Grammy award winner can’t make it official; it’s still her trademark at this point as well.
 Ref : https://www.kashishworld.com/uspto-rejects-cardi-bs-okurrr-trademark-application/