Teenager gives Apple domain name headache

NEWS A 16 year-old Canadian student is holding Apple Computer to ransom over a domain name that was registered following the launch of the iMac. The Web address, www.appleimac.com, was bought for $150 by Abdul Traya for his business, Traya Net. In response, Apple lawyers have written to the Calgary student, accusing him of cyberpiracy and asking him to hand over the domain name. Nick Lockett, barrister at law firm, Sidley & Austin, said the youngster would have no defence under UK law. "He has no argument," he said, explaining that given the domain name there was no doubt about what he was doing. He added: "If he was a registered dealer he may have an argument, but under US law he is likely to have infringed the trademark law. If he was my client I would advise him to hand [the domain name] over." Traya, who used the name to draw attention to the 130 sites held on his own two Web servers, said he would be happy to hand over the name if Apple would donate some computer equipment to his local school. Apple refused to comment.