In a bizarre court decision last year Chris Bosh was awarded hundreds of domain names, most of which were .com names of NBA players or prospects. Bosh and his legal team have convinced the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) to assume the several hundred domain names that have yet to be claimed. In response to the NBPA agreeing to manage the portfolio Bosh said:
“I want to thank the NBPA for agreeing to continue what I started – the return of domains without cost or obligation to those whose names were cybersquatted,”
Darren Heitner of SportsAgentsBlog.com recently published an interview he had with Brian Heidelberger, from Bosh’s legal team, Winston and Strawn LLP talking about the NBPA’s willingness to manage the domains and Bosh’s rare case in which he was awarded them. I re-published a question and answer from the article (below) that really explained why this case happened the way it did.
Heitner: Has such a widespread cybersquatting case like this ever been litigated in the past? Is it likely that there will be similar types of cases like this with athletes in the future?
Heidelberger: While there have certainly been a number of cases of athletes and celebrities successfully retrieving their domain names via the federal law or UDRP proceedings, we believe that this was the first case to ever award the transfer of a large portfolio of domains directly to a plaintiff in lieu of damages. I find it somewhat unlikely that there will be another case of this nature in the future, as it takes a unique individual such as Chris to want to take on the responsibility and expense of a case like this without asking anything in return.
Chris Bosh now plays for the Miami Heat where he will be playing the 2010-11 season with fellow superstars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. They are expected to represent the Eastern Conference this year in the championship. Bosh, has always been known to be a really down to earth, kind and generous person – traits that are becoming more and more rare amongst famous athletes.
