France seizes France.com from man who’s had it since ‘94, so he sues - GoFuckYourself.com

Smack dat · 04-29-2018, 02:45 PM

A French-born American has now sued his home country because, he claims, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has illegally seized a domain that he’s owned since 1994: France.com.
In the mid-1990s, Jean-Noël Frydman bought France.com from Web.com and set up a website to serve as a "digital kiosk" for Francophiles and Francophones in the United States.

For over 20 years, Frydman built up a business (also known as France.com), often collaborating with numerous official French agencies, including the Consulate General in Los Angeles and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, sometime around 2015, that very same ministry initiated a lawsuit in France in an attempt to wrest control of the France.com domain away from Frydman. Web.com locked the domain, and Frydman even roped in the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard Law School to intervene on his behalf.

By September 2017, the Paris Court of Appeals ruled that France.com was violating French trademark law. Armed with this ruling, lawyers representing the French state wrote to Web.com demanding that the domain be handed over.

Finally, on March 12, 2018, Web.com abruptly transferred ownership of the domain to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company did so without any formal notification to Frydman and no compensation.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...94-so-he-sues/

Bladewire · 04-29-2018, 02:49 PM

So finally the French changed French trademark law so they could get the domain back. Scary

Cyber Fucker · 04-29-2018, 03:46 PM

That is a fucking robbery. Web.com is to blame too. They had no right to transfer that domain, .com is not .fr, and where is the ICANN dispute?

bns666 · 04-29-2018, 04:13 PM

yeah shitty situation, thay domain is worth a lot just by itself.

blackmonsters · 04-29-2018, 06:51 PM

Fuck up.

As if France couldn't afford to just pay him.
What did they spent in legal fees and time wasted?

dillfly2000 · 04-29-2018, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

Fuck up.

As if France couldn't afford to just pay him.
What did they spent in legal fees and time wasted?

It's an ego thing. They'd spend more trying to take it from him rather than pay him.

Paul Markham · 04-30-2018, 05:22 AM

This is disgusting.

blackmonsters · 04-30-2018, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillfly2000

It's an ego thing. They'd spend more trying to take it from him rather than pay him.

Yes, I forgot about the part where they have to prove they are right at all cost.
I disagree that the name of a nation should even be trademarked.

What about a town named France; do they have to turn over the town?

I do agree that France could take the domain if the website were fraudulently representing the nation of France.

Paris Hilton must be shaking in her boots now.

NatalieK · 04-30-2018, 04:25 PM

really wrong of them...

Spain.com isn´t owned by government, but seems to be about travel with Spain.
America.com is parked
Strangely, GreatBritain.com shows London & sights around London... personally, those Scots, Welsh & Irish should be pretty pissed, I know I would be

HairyChick · 04-30-2018, 06:13 PM

France trademarked their name? If so, does the trademark specifically mention “domain names”. What if your last name is France? (When I trademarked my magazine name, I included language so they could register the name but ONLY if it had nothing to do with about eight different subjects)

For twenty years it was okay? And the host never told him it was relinquishing the domain?

Lawsuit if the trademark has specific wording. They can’t claim defamation as it wasn’t a French-bashing site. I hope this goes the legal route so we can see the specifics from each side

CaptainHowdy · 05-01-2018, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

Fuck up.

As if France couldn't afford to just pay him.
What did they spent in legal fees and time wasted?

You don't know the french:

just a punk · 05-01-2018, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bladewire

So finally the French changed French trademark law so they could get the domain back. Scary

Scary? You must be kidding. That's cool IMHO

Brad Mitchell · 05-01-2018, 04:14 AM

That is seriously fucked up. I can’t believe this didn’t even go through a dispute with ICANN.

Brad

JFK · 05-01-2018, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyber Fucker

That is a fucking robbery. Web.com is to blame too. They had no right to transfer that domain, .com is not .fr, and where is the ICANN dispute?

Indeed , BULLSHIT !!!

rogueteens · 05-01-2018, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GspotProductions

Strangely, GreatBritain.com shows London & sights around London... personally, those Scots, Welsh & Irish should be pretty pissed, I know I would be

Why should the Irish be pissed off?

femdomdestiny · 05-01-2018, 04:37 PM

next time, he should register the domain in some country where registrar is not operated by pussies. North Korea sounds good but then again, they are not using the internet

All I know is that I won't buy any service from web.com Maybe we should sue web.com to stop using that domain. I mean world wide web belongs to all of us , right?

Brent 3dSexCash · 05-02-2018, 06:13 AM

Talk about a bad morning. Domain likely worth 3-5 mil

balint · 05-02-2018, 07:36 AM

Why are you so surprised, they took 2/3 of our country a few years ago

pornguy · 05-02-2018, 08:26 AM

ICANN does not give a shit and neither does the registrars.

NatalieK · 05-02-2018, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogueteens

Why should the Irish be pissed off?

my bad, should have wrote unitedkingdom.com

Strange, many companies use United Kingdom and some Great Britain, forgetting the only difference is Northern Ireland inc.

When we post from Spain to our family, I always write England, UK. However, I suppose it should be England, UK, GB.

InfoGuy · 05-02-2018, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brent 3dSexCash

Talk about a bad morning. Domain likely worth 3-5 mil

That's a fair value without any development, but there is significant value from being a developed site 20+ years.

This act sets bad precedent for other domain disputes, if it's not overturned. Whoever owns any domain containing "France" should be concerned about seizure by the French government.

04-29-2018, 02:45 PM	#1
Smack dat So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 4,613	France seizes France.com from man who’s had it since ‘94, so he sues A French-born American has now sued his home country because, he claims, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has illegally seized a domain that he’s owned since 1994: France.com. In the mid-1990s, Jean-Noël Frydman bought France.com from Web.com and set up a website to serve as a "digital kiosk" for Francophiles and Francophones in the United States. For over 20 years, Frydman built up a business (also known as France.com), often collaborating with numerous official French agencies, including the Consulate General in Los Angeles and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, sometime around 2015, that very same ministry initiated a lawsuit in France in an attempt to wrest control of the France.com domain away from Frydman. Web.com locked the domain, and Frydman even roped in the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard Law School to intervene on his behalf. By September 2017, the Paris Court of Appeals ruled that France.com was violating French trademark law. Armed with this ruling, lawyers representing the French state wrote to Web.com demanding that the domain be handed over. Finally, on March 12, 2018, Web.com abruptly transferred ownership of the domain to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company did so without any formal notification to Frydman and no compensation. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...94-so-he-sues/

04-29-2018, 02:49 PM	#2
Bladewire StraightBro Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Monarch Beach, CA USA Posts: 56,229	So finally the French changed French trademark law so they could get the domain back. Scary __________________ Skype: CallTomNow

04-29-2018, 03:46 PM	#3
Cyber Fucker Hmm Industry Role: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: On an endless road around the world for rock and roll. Posts: 12,642	That is a fucking robbery. Web.com is to blame too. They had no right to transfer that domain, .com is not .fr, and where is the ICANN dispute? __________________

04-29-2018, 04:13 PM	#4
bns666 Confirmed Fetishist Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fetishland Posts: 11,526	yeah shitty situation, thay domain is worth a lot just by itself. __________________ ⭐ CAM SODA ⭐ STRIPCHAT ⭐ ⭐ CHATURBATE ⭐ X LOVE CAM ⭐

04-29-2018, 06:51 PM	#5
blackmonsters Making PHP work Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: 🌎🌅🌈🌇 Posts: 20,484	Fuck up. As if France couldn't afford to just pay him. What did they spent in legal fees and time wasted? __________________ Make Money with Porn

04-30-2018, 05:22 AM	#7
Paul Markham Too old to care Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: On the sofa, watching TV or doing my jigsaws. Posts: 52,943	This is disgusting. __________________ Blowout deal. 880 videos, 2,400 image sets, plus many RAW videos. $500. PM me for a deal. Skype Paulmarkham70

04-30-2018, 04:25 PM	#9
NatalieK Natalie K Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Spain Posts: 19,403	really wrong of them... Spain.com isn´t owned by government, but seems to be about travel with Spain. America.com is parked Strangely, GreatBritain.com shows London & sights around London... personally, those Scots, Welsh & Irish should be pretty pissed, I know I would be __________________ My official site Custom vids Make money & get into the business First time girls Skype: GspotProductions - "Converting traffic into income since 2005"

04-30-2018, 06:13 PM	#10
HairyChick Slowly dying Industry Role: Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Padanaram Posts: 3,091	France trademarked their name? If so, does the trademark specifically mention “domain names”. What if your last name is France? (When I trademarked my magazine name, I included language so they could register the name but ONLY if it had nothing to do with about eight different subjects) For twenty years it was okay? And the host never told him it was relinquishing the domain? Lawsuit if the trademark has specific wording. They can’t claim defamation as it wasn’t a French-bashing site. I hope this goes the legal route so we can see the specifics from each side __________________ ***************************************** Anti-Semites have Small Penis Syndrome. The only known treatment is electroshock therapy combined with cerebellum removal. Fortunately, it’s a tiny procedure. *****************************************

05-01-2018, 04:14 AM	#13
Brad Mitchell Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southfield, MI Posts: 9,812	That is seriously fucked up. I can’t believe this didn’t even go through a dispute with ICANN. Brad __________________ President at MojoHost \| brad at mojohost dot com \| Skype MojoHostBrad 71 industry awards for hosting and professional excellence since 1999

05-01-2018, 04:37 PM	#16
femdomdestiny Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 5,175	next time, he should register the domain in some country where registrar is not operated by pussies. North Korea sounds good but then again, they are not using the internet All I know is that I won't buy any service from web.com Maybe we should sue web.com to stop using that domain. I mean world wide web belongs to all of us , right? __________________ Femdom Destiny -------------------------------------------- ICQ: 463-630-426 email: webmaster(at)femdomdestiny.com

05-02-2018, 06:13 AM	#17
Brent 3dSexCash Octopus Anime Industry Role: Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,064	Talk about a bad morning. Domain likely worth 3-5 mil

05-02-2018, 07:36 AM	#18
balint Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Budapest Posts: 702	Why are you so surprised, they took 2/3 of our country a few years ago __________________ Skype: live:balint.media.buyer E-mail: [email protected]

05-02-2018, 08:26 AM	#19
pornguy Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Homeless Posts: 62,911	ICANN does not give a shit and neither does the registrars. __________________ PornGuy skype me pornguy_epic AmateurDough The Hottes Shemales online! TChicks.com \| Angeles Cid \| Mariana Cordoba \| MAILERS WELCOME!