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Attention News/Business Editors:

Expert Predicts Jump in Internet Trademark Infringement

    Canadian Businesses Must Move Decisively to Protect Market Brands

    OTTAWA, April 12 /CNW/ - Canadian businesses are at risk of losing their
rights to their own brand names on the Internet due to the dramatic rise in
cyber squatters, individuals that register the brand names of companies but
have no intention of actually using the name for legitimate Internet related
purposes.  Rob Hall, President of Momentous.ca, an Ottawa based Internet
enterprise that incubates new on-line businesses, views the cyber squatting
issue as one of the most pressing and potentially damaging problems for
Canadian businesses planning to launch on-line enterprises.
    Mr. Hall feels strongly that companies and individual entrepreneurs have
to take immediate action to protect their brand names, trademarks and related
intellectual property.  ``Many Canadian business people are asleep at the
wheel when it comes to brand protection and the Internet.  Cyberspace is like
the wild west where the laws and regulations were made after the fact.  The
Internet is not a nice, orderly situation.  Businesses, big and small are
going to get hurt'', he said.
    According to Mr. Hall business owners and managers should view the
virtual world of cyberspace, the same way they would any other expansion of
their enterprise.  ``You may not be ready for an on-line application of your
business, but one should lay the foundation now for an Internet presence by
ensuring that trademarks, brand names and related intellectual properties are
registered and protected.''
    All Internet names have to be registered with domain registrars.  In
Canada there are three primary registrars: Tucows, Netnation and Internic.ca,
Canada's leading registrar.
    It is estimated that a new Internet domain name is registered every six
seconds.  Upon registration, a registrant receives the right to a domain name
that is unique to that particular company, product or individual.  A domain
name is used instead of the more difficult Internet Protocol addresses that
identify each computer on the Internet.  The typical annual cost per domain
name is $35 although that cost can be as low as $15 depending on the level of
ongoing service support from the registrar.  There is no limit to the number
of domain names that can be registered and the process is entirely based on a
first come first served basis.  Many companies, entrepreneurs and individuals
are discovering that their brand or corporate names have already been
registered.
    Mr. Hall is also the President of Canada's leading registrar,
lnternic.ca, a company that offers domain name registrations to Canadians.
He started one of the first Internet Service Providers in Canada and was one
of the principal founders of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers
(CAIP).  In late 1998, Mr. Hall helped create the Canadian Internet
Registration Authority (CIRA) and served as their first Chairman.



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