James Bond zaps cybersquatter
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Brosnan: Stirred if not shaken to put his lawyers on the case
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GENEVA, Switzerland -- James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan has won a legal battle to claim the Internet Web site bearing his name, United Nations arbitrators have ruled.
The ruling Monday said the registered owner of the name -- Alberta Hot Rods, of Alberta, Canada -- had no rights or interests in the name and was using it in bad faith.
The Irish star brought the case against a company which was a front for the now infamous cybersquatter Jeff Burgar, who redirected piercebrosnan.com to a commercial Web site, www.celebrity1000.com.
Brosnan's lawyers told the panel that this site contained biographies of some actors but no information about Brosnan. They noted that the site carries numerous advertising messages and that the owner appeared to be using Brosnan's name to earn money.
Burgar did not file a defense.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ruled that his behavior "constitutes a pattern of conduct intended to capitalize on the goodwill associated with others' fame for its own illegitimate purposes."
The celebrities' site owner has been involved in several other disputes over stars' Web sites and has lost cases against singer Celine Dion, rock group Pearl Jam and former Baywatch beauty Pamela Anderson.
Burgar has 10 days to appeal against the ruling, after which time the site will be transferred back to Brosnan.
The U.N. arbitration system, which started in 1999, allows those who think they have the right to a domain to get it back without having to fight a costly legal battle or pay large sums of money.
The United Nations copyright agency has dealt with 91 cases involving famous people and has ruled in favor of the celebrity on 77 occasions.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
