The owner of Woldingham Saddlery and Harness Center in Surrey,
who owns the domain name po-lo.com, has been labelled a
cybersquatter by the US fashion company Ralph Lauren and threatened
with legal action unless he surrenders the domain name.
Keith Collingridge runs the saddlery centre with his wife. He
says he registered the domain name, together with other equestrian
names, to point to a site advertising his business. The home page
states that the site is under construction and adds, “Ralph, I got
a letter from your lawyers… I just read the content… Have a nice
day
Collingridge described the written threats by Ralph Lauren as
“bully boy tactics” and says he will fight their claim on the
grounds that his use of the Po-lo.com name is legitimate. Polo.com
is registered to Ralph Lauren. Polo.co.uk is registered to the
Ascot Park Polo Club.
In the letters from Ralph Lauren’s lawyers, the company is
threatening action before the World Intellectual Property
Organisation and/or the US courts.
