Nominet ( the .uk Domain Registrars ) now retain legal advisors due to the trademark / trading name implications with Domain Names. I'm not sure about other ccTLD Registrars. If RIPE-NCC were to perform trademark/trading name checks, they would have to employ a Trademark Attorney or such specialist legal expert. This would take time to recruit and would increase costs and extend the LIR set-up time. However, it is probably inappropriate for RIPE-NCC to do this. Whilst I sympathise with your position, I'd recommend no legal significance be attached to an LIR's name, and would suggest that your concerns about confusion between the uk.firstnetonlinexxxx is addressed via consultation with Trademark Attorneys (they do exist :-)). Regards, Adrian F Pauling :-)NEL2C Internet Protocol Manager acd Information Systems Engineering Technical Architecture AFP1-RIPE / AFP-ARIN / AFP25-InterNIC * adrian.pauling@bt.com * +44 19 2685 1992 / +44 78 0290 4877 British Telecommunications plc Registered Office 81 Newgate Street London EC1A 7AJ Registered in England no 1800000

-----Original Message----- From: Greg Lloyd Smith [SMTP:greg@askfol.com] Sent: 09 May 2000 10:03 To: lir-wg Subject: We cannot really stop anyone from becoming a LIR... -- RIPE Hostmaster

The following is an extract from a series of communications on the subject of RIPE having recently authorised the addition of another LIR in the UK, which uses the same trading name of an existing member. It is our feeling that RIPE should not have allowed the addition of this LIR on the basis that the company in question trades using a name which could easily confuse the general public as to which company is which and that since our company was an existing member, and had previously been a LIR in another country as well, they should have decline the application of the LIR on the basis that their trading name could cause a conflict and confuse the general public, and would further cause damage to an existing member's company and reputation.

Greg Lloyd Smith uk.firstnetonline

[RIPE NCC Hostmaster writes] Good morning Greg,

[uk.firstnetonline writes] "FirstNET Online PLC" <webmaster@gb-host.com> writes: * Thank you for your continued discussion on this matter.... What you could * have done, was determined whether or not RIPE needed (yet) another LIR, and * base that decision on the same factors I was presented with in Greece... * That is.. Could they have obtained their IP addresses from their up line * connectivity provider, and was there another member using the name FirstNET * or something similar... These were the questions I was asked when I applied * to RIPE. I am very distressed by the fact that about a week ago there was * no other member of RIPE using our name and now there is and (most * important), there is no connection between our companies.

[RIPE NCC Hostmaster writes] Yes we did all that. Its standard procedure as written in ripe-160.

[uk.firstnetonline writes] * I would point out for the record that of the 20 companies I own two of them * (FirstNET Online Management Limited and FirstNET Online PLC), and that only * three of them are purporting to be ISP's and therefore the change of 20 of * them asking you for membership would be limited to the company about which * we are complaining and our own 2 companies. * * I would therefore ask that we be allowed to appeal to someone within the * RIPE organisation to have their membership revoked or repealed since it * should not have been granted in the first place. I was vetted and I suspect * that if there had been a company in Greece using the name Firstnet, you * would have rejected my application. Why was their application approved?

[RIPE NCC Hostmaster writes] If your argument is that FirstNet Services should not have been allowed to become a Local IR because they partly use the same name as you then you have no agreement according to current policy. We cannot really stop anyone from becoming a LIR, only recommend them to go elsewhere for their address space.

But if you feel strongly about it why don't you write to the LIR working group mailing list, <lir-wg@ripe.net>, and state your case there. Policy is brought about here by the community, not by us.