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Jay Leno Wins Cybersquatting Case

by Caleb Johnson on July 2, 2009 at 10:58 AM


When Guadalupe Zambrano registered his Web site in 2004, he probably thought he'd struck digital 'oil.' The Texas real-estate agent found a domain name that would attract thousands and thousands of users -- thejaylenoshow.com. Just one problem one problem: a certain large-chinned comedian now wants his name back, and it looks like he'll get it, too.

According to Reuters, the World Intellectual Property Organization issued a ruling today that says Zambrano must turn the domain name over to former 'Tonight Show' host Jay Leno within 10 days. The ruling fell under the section of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act that makes it illegal for someone to mislead, confuse and steer users to their site. Reuters reports that Leno's 30-year career in entertainment gives him common law trademark rights to his name, and case arbitrator William Towns says Zambrano also registered the site in 'bad faith.'

Things are looking up for Leno, who will host a new prime-time talk show on NBC this fall called 'The Jay Leno Show.' As for Zambrano, maybe he's learned his lesson. No one wants to be directed to real-estate listings when they're trying to watch some comedy. Although with the current housing market, those might be awful funny, too. [From: Reuters/Yahoo! Tech]

Tags: comedy, court, cybersquatting, jay leno, JayLeno, nbc, texas, top, web

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