Presented at
H2K2 (2002),
July 13, 2002, 6 p.m.
(Unknown duration)
We could fill the entire weekend with stories like these and we have no doubt there will be many more such tales in the years to come. With the help of agencies, corporations, treaties, and laws with acronyms like ICANN, WIPO, WTO, and the DMCA, the individual very often finds himself at the mercy of corporate giants with virtually unlimited funding - and seemingly unlimited power. Throughout it all however, there remains hope. Hear the story of Uzi Nissan, who is being sued by the Nissan Motor Company for daring to use his own name on the Internet. We'll also talk about how the Ford Motor Company sued 2600 - and lost.
Presenters:
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Uzi Nissan
Uzi Nissan came to the US from Israel in 1976 and used his surname to identify a number of business enterprises. The first was Nissan Foreign Car in 1980 (while Nissan Motors was still known as Datsun). In 1987 he started an import/export business known as Nissan International, Ltd. and in 1991 he founded Nissan Computer Corporation. On June 4, 1994, he registered the domain name nissan.com to promote Nissan Computer's related products and services on the Internet. In 1996 he registered the domain name nissan.net and began offering Internet services, including dial-up and direct connections to business. In 1999 legal action was instituted by Nissan Motors for trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and cybersquatting. He's spent a fortune since then literally battling for his name.
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Eric Grimm
Eric Grimm and his law firm CyberBrief, PLC, specialize in the resolution of technology-related legal disputes. Most recently, he represented 2600 when we were sued by the Ford Motor Company for pointing www.fuckgeneralmotors.com to www.ford.com. And, not surprisingly, he won.
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Emmanuel Goldstein
Emmanuel Goldstein is editor and co-founder of 2600, chief organizer of the HOPE conferences, host of WBAI's "Off The Hook," director/producer of the documentary "Freedom Downtime," and the target of lawsuits and threats from all elements of Corporate America. He has been playing with and breaking phone systems and computers since his childhood.
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