Domain name registrar sues web3 metaverse over a name

Recently, foreign media reported a legal dispute involving two companies over the name "Earth". Website, Inc., which operates the ICANN-accredited domain name registrar DotEarth, has filed a lawsuit against a web3 company called Dot Earth Inc.

DotEarth.com was founded in 1999 and is the domain name registrar in suit. The company has a long history and its IANA #64 registration number indicates that it has been around for a long time. A visit to its website provides quick confirmation of its historic status.

Defendant Dot Earth Inc. operates a gamified meta-universe application at erth.xyz. At first glance, there appears to be no obvious similarities between the two companies' products. However, Defendant has filed a trademark application for .ERTH, which it plans to use for a "metaverse web hosting platform providing discovery, navigation and technical infrastructure for decentralized applications, games, e-commerce and graphical user interfaces."

Plaintiffs note the reference to this hosting platform service. According to the lawsuit, Website, Inc. has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the defendant and followed up, but the defendant has indicated that it does not intend to change its corporate name.

This legal dispute highlights the complexities and nuances of trademark and domain name conflicts in the context of evolving Web3 technologies and meta-universe applications. The outcome of this case may set a precedent for future dispute resolution in this emerging field.