Network Solutions, Register.com sued for patent infringement

The focus is on registrations of domain names and e-mail addresses under the .name domain

By Linda Rosencrance

January 16, 2004 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - A recently formed company, Nizza Group, has filed suit against Network Solutions Inc. and Register.com, claiming that the domain name registrars are infringing on e-mail and domain naming patents.
The co-inventors of the patent, Troy Javaher and Frank Weyer, who are the principals of Los Angeles-based Nizza Group, filed the lawsuit Jan. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. They were granted their patent on Dec. 30, 2003. The patent is for a method and system of assigning identical URL and e-mail addresses to members of a group.
The lawsuit alleges that Network Solutions and Register.com infringed on the patent by offering registrations of domain names and e-mail addresses under the .name domain.
The patent covers a method of assigning corresponding e-mail addresses at domain names that have the same form, said Weyer, an attorney specializing in intellectual property litigation. "It's that parallel structure that is covered by the patent claim."
The patent involves third-level domains, which are domains with three parts, such as store.computerworld.com. Typically, an e-mail address using that specific domain would be something like name@store.computerworld.com. The patent covers the ability to issue the e-mail address store@computerworld.com to the same infrastructure as store.computerworld.com.
Weyer said Register.com and Network Solutions both register domain names under the top-level domain .name that uses that parallel structure. "If you want to register john@smith.name, you also get john.smith.name as a Web site," he said.
The partners said they are willing to offer a license under the patent, but if neither of the defendants is interested, they will seek an injunction to enjoin them from further infringement.
Weyer and Javaher, who have been involved in domain name and Internet businesses since 1998, said they are also seeking undisclosed monetary damages.

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