The registry behind the .berlin generic top-level domain has clarified the purpose of a list of trademarks that it published by mistake.
Dot Berlin accidentally leaked about 50,000 names, including trademarks for Google and Microsoft, before removing them from its site.
Observers were unclear what the list was for, with one suggesting it might be a document from the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH).
Dot Berlin spokesman Johannes Lenz-Hawliczek told WIPR the list was a “registry-reserved names list,” but confusion remained.
He has now sent the following statement to WIPR: “We are disappointed with the poor acceptance of the TMCH so far, which we believe can be attributed mainly to insufficient outreach towards small and medium-sized enterprises in particular.
“Therefore, we began to develop some ideas to extend trademark protection measures beyond the sunrise, but ultimately neglected these ideas because of the unclear consequences regarding our policies.
“So we are talking about ideas which were discussed – and rejected – internally, and only leaked by mistake,” he said.
You can view the list here.
This article was first published on 19 March 2014 in World IP Review
berlin, gtlds, trademark clearinghouse, dot berlin
