CNN wins Internet domain name dispute

December 19th, 2002
By Bizjournals.com

Atlanta-based CNN has prevailed in the largest single domain name dispute ever heard under the streamlined dispute policy established to prevent trademark abuses on the Internet.

The case, administered by the National Arbitration Forum, involved 325 domain names containing some variation of the CNN trademark.

In a 40-page decision, a panel of three arbitrators ruled that the Lebanese business interests that registered the names did so in order to take advantage of confusion on the part of Internet users who would believe that sites with names such as cnn-canada.com, cnnlebanon.com and cnnshoppingcenter.com were affiliated with the world famous news network. The domain registrant, Elie Khouri and his business, Channel News Networks, used the names to direct people to their web-based news services that competed directly with CNN.

CNN was represented in the proceeding by John D. Haynes of Atlanta-based Alston & Bird LLP.

The National Arbitration Forum is the largest U.S.-based provider of domain name dispute resolution services and is one of the world's largest neutral administrators of arbitration and mediation services, with a select panel of former judges and experienced senior attorneys providing dispute resolution worldwide.