Vancouver 2010 Settles Dispute Over Domain Name

The organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games have settled their dispute with Nikolaus and Ingrid Homberg over the Internet domain name www.whistler-olympic.com, but Nikolaus Homberg said he can’t reveal details of the agreement he and his mother reached with the organizing committee.

Until November 16, 2004, the day the lawsuit was initiated, the domain name was used for the Whistler Olympic Real Estate Web site, which advertised investments in Whistler real estate.

Michael Lederer, a German businessman, later used the site to sell high-tech products for mobile phone users. The Hombergs insisted they no longer controlled the domain name and that VANOC needed to sort things out with Lederer.

The lawsuit was started after Nikolaus Homberg, stating that he represented a group of international businesses and investors, refused to agree to VANOC’s repeated requests that the defendants cease using the Olympic brand and transfer the domain name to VANOC.

The matter went before a B.C. Supreme Court judge on a number of occasions this year and was finally settled earlier this month, reports the Whistler Question.

Last year the Vancouver Organizing Committee sent out dozens of letters to businesses in British Columbia - even businesses that had their names for years before Vancouver’s bid - ordering them to make changes.

At the time Vancouver 2010 spokesman Sam Corea said anyone who isn’t an official sponsor should not be using the Olympic name or symbols. “It’s one of the only things that we have to sell to our prospective sponsors for the Games, and so we have to show and demonstrate that the brand is free from others using it”.