Rediff.com India Ltd has won a cyber-squatting dispute against a Pakistani national, who was using an identical domain name and illegally incorporating the Indian firm’s trademark, reported Indian media.
Daniyal Waseem of Quetta in Pakistan was using the domain name ‘rediffpk.com’. To this, the Rediff.com had contended that the disputed Internet site was identical in part and confusingly similar as a whole to the ‘Rediff’ trademark, for which it has rights.
To restrain Danyal for using the trademark, the Rediff.com had approached a Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) earlier this year.
The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre, a part of the United Nations, found that the respondent (Waseem) has no rights with regard to the domain name, and the registered site was being used in bad faith.
We have sent a query for Danyal Waseem to get his viewpoint on this – expect an update on this page when and if we get the response.
Just to mention, whois info for rediffpk.com reveals that domain is still owned by Danyal Waseem.
Update:
We got a response from Mr. Waseem, who is currently in Berlin, he writes:
Our website rediff.com.pk was there just to counter the propaganda attacks of rediff.com against Pakistan, but they bribed a law firm and PKNIC and illegally transferred rediff.com.pk.
Rediffpk.com was a just a data domain at that time, but after receiving notice from Rediff India, we redirected it as a main domain name, and it is still active so far.
it’s a TLD and they can’t transfer it illegally so easily, but yes they can do that because they are having big money, we are going to fight the decision and will never give up although – I know we don’t have support from anywhere.
Bhai dunya me koi Pakistani kuch bhi karay ga tu woh hamaisha ghalat hai or issay os ki saza zaror milti hai.
jab ke yeh kaam kisi or ne kia hota tu ….
aap is ka jawab jantay hain.
Danial is wrong in copying Rediff. There are so many websites operating against Pakistan, so why did he chosed Rediff name? May be because it had a goodwill and Danial could benefit from it?
He could be artistic enough to at least change the name to greeniff etc for pakistan.
aap ne theek kaha…magar wo to rediffpk.com use kar raha tha na..ab insan ki marzi jo marzi domain hasil kar lay…agar rediff walon ko koi problem thi to ye domain wo pehle he purchase kar lete… ;)
i totally agree with Omer that he must use his own mind and bring something new……
well i don’t agree with omer if they were using good will then there ranks should be better. and i checked the sites they said that the have no link with rediff india clearly in disclaimer. if it is so then they must shut down pakistani goverment news agency website APP Associated Press of Pakistan app.com.pk as it is also identical to world renowned Associated Press AP and website AP.com