... a battle for an Internet domain name: Is the domain name glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com a violation of Glenn Beck's intellectual property? The conservative commenter certainly thought so, but an arbitration panel at the World Intellectual Property Organization has ruled otherwise.
While it's meant to be humorous, I have to admit that I would be pissed if someone linked my name and the rape of a young girl.
Last month we reported that Beck had filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization over a satire Web site with the provocative domain name glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com. The name is inspired by a Gilbert Gottfried comedy routine in which he praises fellow comedian Bob Saget, but then begs people to stop accusing Saget of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990. The Web site, developed by Isaac Eiland-Hall, applied the joke to Glenn Beck as a way to critique his rhetorical methods.
Beck's lawyers argued that because "Glenn Beck" is a registered trademark, Eiland-Hall's use of his name in the Web site's domain violated that trademark, and the URL was "confusingly similar" to it. They also argued that Eiland-Hall's Web site didn't constitute fair use because he "had not made sufficiently clear that it is intended to convey criticism through a form of comedy (i.e., that it is a 'joke')."
The WIPO ruling, released late last week, ruled against Glenn Beck. It dismissed Beck's argument that Internet users could be confused by the domain name and its accompanying Web site. "Even a 'moron in a hurry,'" read the decision, quoting Eiland-Hall's attorney, "would not likely conclude that Complainant sponsored, endorsed or was affiliated with the website addressed by the disputed domain name."
But, then I remember how much money Glenn Beck makes and think, 'you know, he'll be okay.' The odds are that the radio and television money-machine won't lose any sleep over the issue.
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The Pajama Pundit - Founder/Editor
