Gaming firm Activision takes control of domain name

A leading gaming publisher has emerged triumphant following a domain name dispute.

Activision – the creator of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series – took exception to the registration of modernwarfare3.com by an unrelated third party.

Florida resident Anthony Abraham acquired the domain name in March 2009, but two and a half years later, he has been instructed to hand the web address over to Activision.

The company had filed a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy complaint with the National Arbitration Forum over Mr. Abraham’s use of the web address.

In a clear case of cybersquatting, he had been using modernwarfare3.com to direct internet users towards a rival shooter title – Battlefield 3.

This upcoming release, to be published by Electronic Arts, will provide competition to Activision’s latest Modern Warfare instalment.

Last week, a UK man was accused of cybersquatting, after registering the domain name veoliaskips.co.uk and attempting to sell it on to Veolia Environment UK Ltd.