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BERNARD MATTHEWS WINS TURKEY OF A DOMAIN DISPUTE 07/25/2003
Bernard Matthews Limited - producer of turkey-based products and a household name in the UK - has won a dispute over the domain bernardmatthews.co.uk even though the registrant claimed he had been known as "Bernard Matthews" for over 15 years.
In what appears to have been a long and acrimonious dispute, with over 300 pages of evidence submitted, the Complainant contended that the domain had been bought to block their own registration of the domain and to cause confusion among Internet users. Producing evidence of confusion by clients and suppliers who had mistakenly sent email to the domain, the Complainant asserted that the domain was an abusive registration in the hands of the registrant.
However, the Respondent - listed as "Jason McCluskey aka Bernard Matthews" in the dispute proceedings - claimed that the registration wasn't abusive as he had registered the domain for personal use, having been known as "Bernard Matthews" for 15 years as a result of his "strong Norfolk accent". UK readers will, of course, be aware that for many years the chairman of Bernard Matthews Ltd appeared in countless TV adverts extolling the benefits of his turkeys speaking with his distinctive, down-to-earth country accent.
The Complainant asserted that there was no proof the registrant in fact shared his name with the domain - alleging that the phone bill he had produced in his defence was forged and that he had made false declarations to Nominet that he was called Bernard Matthews.
Details at: http://www.demys.net/news/2003/07/23_turkey.htm
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