A small software firm based in Bournemouth now seems set to
prevail against the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in a battle
over the domain name fsa.co.uk. Findlay Steele Associates, the
current owner of the domain name, was last month the losing party
in a decision by Nominet, the national registry for all domain
names ending in .uk. However, an independent expert appointed by
Nominet at the request of Findlay Steele Associates has recommended
that Nominet should revoke its decision.
Findlay Steele Associates registered the name fsa.co.uk in good
faith some six months before the FSA, holder of the domain name
fsa.gov.uk, came into existence. However, Nominet initially
reasoned that some confusion had occurred between the two names.
Findlay Steele had received confidential business correspondence
intended for the FSA as a result of a spelling error made by the
sender, the FSA’s solicitors.
The unnamed expert reviewing the decision noted that the FSA has
indicated that it might resort to court action if it loses the
Nominet decision. The expert has recommended that the parties
settle the case, which is likely to involve the FSA making an offer
to buy the domain name. Accordingly, the expert has given the
parties until 26th October to come to a “mutually acceptable
arrangement regarding the use of the domain name.”
