Aimster Struggles On

Aimster founder, Johnny Deep has promised to fight on and will not give up his rights to the company's domain. Deep told BetaNews, "What a travesty the whole domain name procedure has become. Two arbitrators, in an apparent effort to advertise their own services to big corporations, decided to usurp powers that federal courts would not have exercised. See the opinion of the third dissenting arbitrator to realize what was really going on. Yes we'll appeal it and we'll surely win."

Late last week, the Capital Business District Review has reported on a decision that requires Aimster to relinquish its domain name. A ruling by the National Arbitration Forum found that "AIM" in Aimster violated America Online's trademark for its instant messaging software. The case, "American Online, Inc. v. John Deep." was greatly influenced by the conclusions of the NAF.

The National Arbitration Forum is a US-based organization, which mediates and resolves domain name disputes. According to NAF, "Aimster could not include the AIM trademark in its domain names without infringing on the goodwill created in the name by America Online." They also commented on the significance of this ruling by stating that it "may have far-reaching consequences."

For more information, read the decision on the Aimster domain case