Mixing scripts (Re: Unicode versions (Re: Criteria for exceptional characters))

John C Klensin klensin at jck.com
Fri Dec 22 15:07:32 CET 2006



--On Friday, 22 December, 2006 13:41 +0000 Michael Everson
<everson at evertype.com> wrote:

> So, what protection may I expect to have against "evertype"
> being spoofed by someone who mixes Latin and Cyrillic? None?

>From the protocol, none.

>From the registry for COM if you are worried about someone
spoofing "evertype.com", one would hope that they would prohibit
(or that ICANN would require them to prohibit) such spoofed
registrations, especially given that "evertype.com" is already
registered.

But ask yourself some other questions...

(1) What prevents someone hostile to you from registering
"evertype.biz" or "evertype.info" or "evertype.nu" today
(entirely in ASCII characters in all cases)?  Answer: nothing.
In the first two cases, you might be able to make UDRP claims if
the relevant conditions were met.  In the third, that probably
wouldn't do you any good either.

(2) Suppose that someone sets up a typography business (or a
typewriter manufacturer) in a country that is not particularly
sympathetic to the international trademark regime.  Suppose they
decide to call it "evertype", either out of ignorance or in the
hope of confusing your customers.  What recourse do you have?
Hint: whatever you think the answer is, it is not that they are
prevented from doing so without your taking any action.

Life is hard sometimes.  And IDNs are not the problem.

    john



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