On Wed, 15 Nov 2000, Rowe, Joshua wrote:

> As ICANN prepares to assign new top-level domains, cybersquatting in the
> existing ones is alive and well, as search engine site Ask Jeeves has
> discovered.
> 

extract

"Users who access the main askjeeves.com site from an
Australian IP are offered a redirect which takes them to a
localised version of the service, complete with
Australian-sourced advertising material. However, the
Australian site is not located at www.askjeeves.com.au, as
you might expect. Instead, it's located at the rather less
obvious au.ask.com."

Its a moot point to me that Jeeves has *any* right to
askjeeves.com.au at all? Under this logic all Australian
Company's would be expected to give up their domain names
whenever a foreign enterprise decided to set up shop in
Australia. In anyase Jeeves *can* have a "localised version
complete with Australian sources advertising" and still
use askjeeves.com as the root domain name with the redirect
as mentioned in the article. 

Whats the problem with using an askjeeves.com subdomain as a
destination?

Moving to the "au.ask.com" domain for the Australian site is
just plain silly! Makes you wonder if the US company is
really setting up here at all or if some smart alec has just
got hold of a licence for the "australian" version and
expecting a free ride. No smarts in that.


doug


-----------------------------------------------------------
Doug Robb
Clarity Software Pty Ltd      http://clarity.com.au
GPO Box 763                   Phone: 0403 02 2527
Nedlands 6909                 Fax:   (618) 93867564
Australia                     email: doug§clarity.com.au
-----------------------------------------------------------