MySpace has won the rights to the MySpace.co.uk domain name, which has been owned by Stockport based Total Web Solutions since 1997, ie long before the MySpace social networking phenomenon was unleashed on the world.
The ruling is somewhat interesting because Total Web legitimately registered the domain for its own use in 1997, and didn't simply sign it up to try and hold MySpace to ransom (it not existing until some years later). However, the body that governs these things says that the Stockport firm altered its use of the MySpace.co.uk domain after MySpace.com became so successful, making it a page advertising rival social networking websites. That, an independent expert ruled, mounted to mis-use of the domain.
But some in the domain name business think the ruling could set a dangerous precedent. Jonathan Robinson of web services company NetNames told reporters: "This dispute resolution service decision is counter-intuitive at first sight and serves as a warning that domain registrations are not guaranteed and need to be secured by pro-active management as well as a clear understanding of the dynamic nature of the industry".
The address MySpace.co.uk currently points to a blank page. It's not clear how long it will be before it points to MySpace, or whether the Rupert Murdoch owned social networking will start to use the .co.uk domain as its main URL in the UK.