Apple designer Jonathan Ive loses bid for domain names

Fan site wins in WIPO battle

13 May 2009 12:13 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Apple designer, or to give him his correct title, senior vice president of industrial design, Jonathan Ive, has lost a recent Apple-backed bid to get control of domain names based around his name.

Jonathanive.com, jony-ive.com, jonathan-ive.com, and jonyive.com all point to UK-based web designer Harry Jones' fan site about Ive, but somewhat ironically considering he's supposedly a fan of Ive, Jones has so far refused to give up the URLs to the Apple designer.

After trying to buy the domains for $10,000 (Jones wanted $400,000 "to dissuade harassment. I had no desire or intention to sell my website to Apple") Ive took the matter to the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

The WIPO's dispute resolution process looks at trademark status, and despite the Brit's high profile, since Apple doesn't actually market products using Ive's name, the WIPO ruled against Ive and for Jones.