WIPO orders Narnia domain transfer, makes 11-year-old cry

A Narnia-like battle has erupted over a domain name that one party argues will leave an 11-year-old child without a birthday present thanks to greedy, powerful rightsholders. Control of the domain, narnia.mobi, was taken away from its original registrant this week by the World Intellectual Property Organization and awarded to the estate of C.S. Lewis, author of the popular The Chronicles of Narnia series, a decision that the original registrant is referring to as "scandalously one-sided."

they registered the domain in order to give their then-nine-year-old son—a huge Narnia fan—the gift of an e-mail address with "narnia" in it for his 11th birthday.

WIPO ruled that narnia.mobi was registered in bad faith and ordered it to be transferred to the C.S. Lewis estate. Although the family can appeal WIPO's decision,

they couldn't afford to continue the legal fight. "We are shocked by the decision," Gillian Saville-Smith said.