Ryanair Complaint Site Gets To Keep Domain

from the good-for-them dept

We mentioned recently just how random the process is by which panels determine if you need to give up the domain name you own to some big company — and it gets even more confusing when you get to complaint sites or “sucks sites.” Sometimes a court will rule that it’s clearly not domain squatting or trademark infringement to put up a complaint site using the name of whoever or whatever you’re complaining about. But, not always. Just last year, someone was forced to hand over AirFranceSucks.com to Air France after an arbitration panel worried that people might not know what “sucks” means, and would therefore assume that AirFranceSucks.com was actually endorsed by the airline (no, seriously). With that kind of ruling, you would think that a more generic name like RyanairCampaign.org would also lose in one of these battles, but randomness strikes again. A panel is letting the owner of the site keep it running as a site critical of the airline Ryanair, noting that he’s not doing anything in “bad faith” against the airline.


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Comments on “Ryanair Complaint Site Gets To Keep Domain”

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13 Comments
Solo says:

I dont know how more explicit the name should be made. AirFranceIsShit.com, BoycottAirFrance.com, AirFranceEatsBabies.com, AirFranceWillKillYou.com that kind of thing.

The guidelines are poor, especially when the battle is international. Remember that domain names are leased, not owned, and sometimes it is difficult to arbitrate between parties (not in this case though)

David McLaughlin says:

Ryanair intransigence

After trying to book a London-Trieste flight for 16 March 2007 the computer produced a ondon -Oslo flight! Reservations would not accept their mistake even when I was later downloaded a document concerning a couple who might have supposed that their travel details were confidential. My options seem to be to forfeit my payment of £32 or accept a penalty in order to restore my original reservation. Is there really no redress to which I can have access?

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