openprovider.co.uk: The EU domain battle.: "A recent example of an expensive lawsuit is the Shell case for royaldutchshellplc.com and royaldutchshellgroup.com. Shell lost this case. So far the lawsuit has cost millions and the domain still doesn't belong to them.": Posted Thursday 3 November 2005: READ
CommTech Newsletter (e-update): Shell complaints sites keep their domain names: “The WIPO panel found unanimously that although the domain names were identical or similar to Shell's various trade names, Mr Donovan had a prima facie right to the free expression of his criticism, and a legitimate interest in using the domain names for his non-commercial forum”: Friday 9 Sept 2005: READ
tld-resource.com: Shell loses domain .com dispute: Someone asked me: How could they loose this? The first two should obviously belong to Shell. Why did they loose the case?: 9 Sept 2005
halvorsen.org (Norway): Shell loses claim for royaldutchshellplc.com versus 88-year old war veteran: Read more at Alfred’s spicy RoyalDutchShellPlc.com. Alfred is a hard nut to crack…”: Thursday 18 August 2005: Read the article
THE TIMES (UK): City Diary: "AN ATTEMPT by Royal Dutch Shell to claim the website royaldutchshellplc.com from an 88-year-old veteran who uses it to publish material that criticises the oil giant has failed.": Tuesday August 16, 2005: Read the article
ShellNews.net: Shell loses Royal Dutch Shell PLC Domain Name Battle: Friday 12 August 2005: 01.35am ET: Read the article and the WIPO panel decision
ShellNews.net: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC DOMAIN NAMES DISPUTE: LATEST NEWS: Designated an "exceptional case" by panel appointed under WIPO auspices: 05.00pm (GMT+1) Wednesday 10 August 2005 (06.00pm Geneva time): Read the article
Statement made about this website on 18 May 2005 by the Complainant, Shell International Petroleum Company Limited in the current World Intellectual Property Organisation proceedings regarding the domain name RoyalDutchShellplc.com: "The Complainant and the Group it represents have been aware of the site since the beginning and whilst they would not endorse or agree with many of the comments made by the Respondent on the website, they have taken the view that the Respondent is entitled to express his opinions and to use the Internet as a medium for doing so." The Wall Street Journal: Shell wages legal fight over web domain name: "Later this summer, oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell Group is expected to merge its two parent companies, creating a new corporate entity: Royal Dutch Shell PLC. But go to www.royaldutchshellplc.com and you will find a crude Web site in garish colors where Alfred Donovan, an 88-year-old British army veteran, posts dozens of media reports and commentary, most of it negative, about Shell and the accounting scandal that plagued it last year. Just after Shell unveiled the name of the new entity last October, Mr. Donovan -- who has had frequent legal battles with Shell -- snapped up the rights to the Web site." (ShellNews.net) 2 June 05 ShellNews.net: HUGE Embarrassment for Shell on the eve of the dual AGM’s proposing a unified company worth more than $200 billion (see above WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE) 2 June 2005 BNA's Internet Law News: DOMAIN NAME DISPUTE PITS SHELL AGAINST ARMY VET: June 2005: Read BigOil.net: Netherlands/UK: Royal Dutch Shell disputes domain name: "Shell hopes that Donovan will be banned from using the domain name.": Posted 10 June 2005: Read the article From the pages of THE TIMES (City diary): Hostile domain: “ROYAL DUTCH/SHELL is locked in a dispute with an 88-year-old war veteran who saw action in the Burma campaign and now runs a website, http://royaldutchshellplc.com, that publishes material critical of the oil company.”: Tuesday 21 June 2005: Read the articleShellNews.net: RESPONSE BY ALFRED DONOVAN TO THE TIMES ARTICLE OF 21 JUNE 2005: Read the article
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Shell Shareholders to Back Unification: “Another dampener on Shell's biggest corporate overhaul since the two holding firms tied up in 1907, is a spat over the rights to the web domain ``royaldutchshellplc.com.'' Disgruntled shareholder Alfred Donovan beat Shell to register the domain name. Shell has sued Donovan for the rights to the domain but while the matter plays out, Donovan uses the site to lambaste Shell management. Posted Saturday 25 June 2005: Read the article
The above New York Times/Reuters article was also published by: The Washington Post, MSN Money, Yahoo, Reuters and the Gulf Times of Qatar. The article remains on the websites below as of 6 Aug 05: http://money.iwon.com/: (iwon.com) http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005 ShellNews.net: A new company - Royal Dutch Shell plc will be born tomorrow - but it will forever have a SECOND-HAND Internet id if Shell wins domain name battle: 16.45pm: Tuesday 19 July 2005: Read the article THE TWO ARTICLES BELOW HAVE A BEARING ON THE DOMAIN NAME CASE: The Times (UK): “The High Court in London has approved the landmark proposal to unify the dual-listed structure of Royal Dutch Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil and gas group.”: Wednesday 20 July 2005: Read the articleNew York Times: Court Approves Unification of Shell Group: “The restructuring came amid a scandal over Shell's restatement of its oil and gas reserves. In February the company announced the fifth restatement in just over a year. In all, reserves have been cut by 6.85 billion barrels to 11.9 billion barrels at the end of 2004.”: Tuesday 19 July 2005: Read the article
TWO EXAMPLES OF THE NUMEROUS OVERSEAS MEDIA REPORTS ON THE DOMAIN NAME BATTLE (MANY OF THEM PUBLISHED IN THE SHELL HEARTLAND: THE NETHERLANDS) ShellNews.net: Dutch Newspaper/website Article on the Donovan/Royal Dutch Shell Domain name battle: “Mijn god, die layout” (Posted 6 June 05) ShellNews.net: Report on a Russian Website about the ROYALDUTCHSHELLPLC.COM domain name battle referred to The World Intellectual Property Organisation: Headline: Shell начинает борьбу за именной домен Posted 6 June 05 THIS WEBSITE IS ALSO THE SUBJECT OF A CONTINUING HIGH COURT INJUNCTION OBTAINED COLLECTIVELY BY EIGHT ROYAL DUTCH SHELL COMPANIES (see section below) Email address to contact the website joint operator/owner: john@shell2004.comClick here for ShellNews.net HOME PAGE