iTunes 'cybersquatter' takes Apple name battle to High Court
The ex dot-com millionaire that lost the rights to the iTunes.co.uk domain name has announced he plans to take his legal battle to the High Court.
Last week, domain name registry service Nominet ruled that Benjamin Cohen must hand the iTunes.co.uk name to Apple. Although Cohen registered the name in November 2000, three years before Apple initially launched its online music shop of the same name, Nominet's dispute resolution procedure found in favour of the Cupertino-based company. Cohen said he has been deterred from appealing directly to Nominet due to the cost - a £3,000 fee in addition to legal expenses - and feels the domain name registrar is biased in favour of large US corporations over small UK companies.
Apple offered to buy the domain name for $5,000 late last year but Cohen responded he would only be willing to sell for £50,000. Following several weeks of informal mediation which failed to resolve the dispute, a Nominet expert was appointed to rule on ownership of the domain name.
