In 2006, Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the Blackberry smart phones, filed a UDRP for BlackberryWorld.com, and it was awarded the domain name by the three member UDRP panel in January of 2007. This domain name had been initially registered in 2004, and the domain owner did not respond to the UDRP proceeding.
According to the UDRP decision, RIM alleged that the “disputed domain name is being used by the Respondent to offer “Blackberry” accessories in the form of chargers, headsets, cases and other accessories, including batteries, desktop stands, books, battery doors, global adaptor clips, screen protectors, and USB cables.” Looks like the owner was onto something with the Blackberry World branding.
This morning, TechCrunch reported that RIM has rebranded its app store, and it is now known as Blackberry World. Of course, the company is using the once disputed domain name, BlackberryWorld.com for its website.
I often see domain names that are won via UDRP go unused, which is sort of ironic when you realize that many ISPs are going to monetize those dead pages. I wonder if Research in Motion had the foresight in 2006 to know that the company was going to use Blackberry World as its app stor branding, or if they chose it based on the availability of the domain name.
I live close to Waterloo where RIM is headquartered and i believe that the new BB10 will be the phone to own for anyone in enterprise. It should be an interesting launch in a few days.
I was an ardent Blackberry user… until I switched to the iPhone 🙂