Selección olímpica de Canadá

Lo que parecía una posibilidad lejana ha terminado por ocurrir:

From: legal@olympic.ca
To: abuse@seleccionolimpicadecanada.com
CC: webmaster@seleccionolimpicadecanada.com

Subject: Domain name dispute

Dear Sir or Madam,

The Canada Olympic Committee (“COC”) is the owner of Canada Federal Trademark Registration(s) No. 52.432-1975 and numerous other trademark registrations pertaining to the mark. COC’s federal registration has been in full effect for over 32 years. A copy of the federal trademark registration data is attached for your reference as Exhibit A. COC owns the domain name olympic.ca, which is the website that represents COC in the World Wide Web.

COC recently discovered that, without COC’s permission or authorization, you have registered and are using www.seleccionolimpicadecanada.com (the “Domain Name”) as a World Wide Web domain name in violation of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act of 1999, which is embodied in the Lanham Act. You can find the ACPA at http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/1129.html. Furthermore, you are intentionally trading on the goodwill of COC by using a trademark that is confusingly similar to the Canada Olympic Selection, that can be represented only by COC. It doesn’t matter that the Domain Name is a translation into another language, as stated in the ACPA.

It is clear that your use of the Domain Name is intended to (and actually does) confuse and misdirect customers seeking COC’s website to your website. This activity is actionable under federal law and causes you to be liable to COC worldwide. Your activities are unlawful and constitute unfair competition, intentional trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false designation of origin and cybersquatting.

The Lanham Act provides numerous remedies for trademark infringement and dilution, including, but not limited to, preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, money damages, a defendant’s profits, provisions for the destruction or confiscation of infringing products and promotional materials, and where intentional infringement is shown (as would be the case here), attorneys’ fees and possible treble money damages.

COC has several options to enforce its legal rights. It can submit the matter to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to be resolved under its Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Policy”) and seek a ruling that the Domain Name be transferred to COC. The Policy can be found at http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp-policy-24oct99.htm.

Second, COC can file a lawsuit against you seeking: (i) preliminary and permanent injunctions, (ii) money damages, (iii) compensation equal to your profits, (iv) reimbursement for COC’s attorney’s fees (because of your blatant and intentional acts), and (v) a court order that you transfer the Domain Name to COC and that you compensate COC for damage to COC’s goodwill.

COC prefers to resolve this matter without taking legal action, but it is prepared to file a lawsuit if necessary to protect its rights and business. You may avoid legal action by transferring the domain seleccionolimpicadecanada.com to the Canada Olympic Commitee, and by signing a cease an desist agreement from any and all use of such domain name.

This email is sent without prejudice to COC’s rights and claims, all of which are expressly reserved.

Given the seriousness of this matter, we would appreciate receiving a response from you within seven (7) days.

Best regards,

Mark Vincent, Attorney

Canadian Olympic Committee
21 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 900
Toronto, ON
Canada M4T 1L9
Tel: 416-324-4143
Fax: 416-967-4902
legal@olympic.ca

No me apetece ponerme a traducir el email palabra por palabra, así que lo resumiré: el Comité Olímpico de Canadá reclama el derecho sobre el dominio seleccionolimpicadecanada.com. Además el abogaducho no debe entender mucho de castellano, porque habla de si vamos a juicio reclamará los beneficios de nuestras ventas, por lo que creo que ha visto la foto de nuestro balón y la de nuestro uniforme y ha pensado que nos dedicamos a vender material deportivo. A saber.

Menciona que tenemos siete días para contestar. No ha dicho qué pasará si no contestamos, pero me lo puedo imaginar.

La pregunta es: ¿qué hacemos? ¿Les transferimos el dominio como piden? ¿Nos arriesgamos a que nos denuncien si no lo hacemos? Creo que las leyes protegen el derecho a la parodia por encima de la propiedad intelectual, así que si demostramos que el fin de la web no es comercial, sino paródico, tal vez tengamos un argumento fuerte a nuestro favor. Si alguien tiene un amigo abogado, no estaría de más que le pidiera su opinión.

Eso sí: aunque nos obliguen a cederles el dominio seleccionolimpicadecanada.com, nada ni nadie puede obligarnos a cambiar el nombre del equipo. La cuestión es si queremos seguir siendo canadienses después de esto.

Si tenéis algo que decir hacedlo aprisa, el tiempo apremia.

Esta entrada se publicó , el Viernes, 28 de diciembre de 2007 a las 13:16 horas y está guardada en Equipo. Puedes seguir cualquier respuesta a esta entrada en el RSS 2.0. Están cerrados tanto los comentarios como los pings.