National Arbitration Forum Issues Decision on Google Web Addresses

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. — http://www.arbitration-forum.com — The National Arbitration Forum announced today that a ruling has been issued in favor of Google regarding rights to the Internet domain names googkle.com, ghoogle.com, gfoogle.com and gooigle.com.

A complaint was recently filed with the National Arbitration Forum by Google Inc., represented by Rose A. Hagan, on May 11, 2005 asserting legal rights to the Web addresses bearing close resemblance to Google.com.

Ruling in Google’s favor, National Arbitration Forum arbitrator Paul A. Dorf found that the other party, Sergey Gridasov, registered the googkle.com and ghoogle.com on December 30, 2000 and the domain names gfoogle.com and gooigle.com on January 12, 2001—after Google registered its domain in late 1999. The other party was also using the disputed domain names to direct Internet users to Web sites that attempt to download viruses, trojan horses and spyware to the users’ computers. The disputed domain names contain links to various products unrelated to Google.

National Arbitration Forum’s arbitrator found that Gridasov did not have legitimate rights to the Web addresses, and the Web addresses were confusingly similar to Google’s trademark rights to its own name. The arbitrator also found that Gridasov was using them in bad faith by presumably profiting from the use of domains.

Internet domain disputes similar to that of Google’s are a few of thousands heard each year by the National Arbitration Forum under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP") of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"). The domain name dispute process is a popular alternative to lengthy and expensive trademark lawsuits.

A copy of the decision, Google Inc. v. Sergey Gridasov, is available for viewing on the National Arbitration Forum Web site at: http://www.arb-forum.com/domains/decisions/474816.htm

About the National Arbitration Forum
The National Arbitration Forum is one of the world's leading providers of alternative dispute resolution solutions, including arbitration and mediation, representing a distinguished panel of over 1,500 attorneys and retired judges in the U.S. and in 29 countries. Founded in 1986, the National Arbitration Forum administers more than 50,000 cases annually. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the National Arbitration Forum also has offices located in New Jersey and Los Angeles. Additional information is available at the National Arbitration Forum's Web site at www.arbitration-forum.com or our blog at http://arbitration-forum.blogspot.com.