Domain Registration Related News
South Africa Still Fighting for Domain
September 2004
The South African government is still fighting
to own the southafrica.com domain name despite
expensive litigation against Virtual Countries,
the US company that owns the domain, Roy
Padayachee, deputy communications minister for
South Africa, said today in a report by Business
Report.
Virtual Countries has owned the southafrica.com
domain name since 2002 and has reportedly demanded
$10 million for the transfer of ownership. The
South African government is not willing to pay the
price, which it considers exhorbitant.
According to Padayachee, the South African
government has lobbied World Intellectual Property
Organisation to arbitrate the case. The
arbitration was halted, however, when Virtual
Countries appealed and asked for a court order to
prohibit the South African government from using
the domain. The appeal was dismissed, but Virtual
Countries remains in control over the domain.
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