20 year old University Student & Web Hosting Company Wins Landmark Trademark and Copyright Lawsuit

University Student & Web Hosting Company Wins Landmark Trademark and Copyright Lawsuit

Orlando, FL November 14, 2003 -- Full Sail Inc, A Florida University has sued a student in federal court and had initiated an international arbitration proceeding because the student is operating a web site critical of the school on the domain name http://www.FULLSAILSUCKS.COM.

The student has recently won the domain name dispute, and the lawsuit in federal court has been dismissed. Ryan Spevack, remarked, It is amazing that a school in this country is trying to punish someone for exercising their first amendment right of freedom of speech. People should be able to speak out and even criticize institutions and companies. The public is hungry for opinions and reviews of companies and their products. As a student myself, I want young people to understand the meaning of Caveat Emptor, or let the buyer beware. I consider my WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) case an important win for domain names, and for freedom of speech on the internet. Spevack states "I am also glad the federal judge in Orlando District Court dismissed Full Sails civil lawsuit against me. They cant bully critics for Freedom of Speech, thats just wrong."

The website provides an opportunity for students and other individuals to comment about the Florida school and to express their opinions. It is supposed to be something like an Educational Consumer Reports type site, says Spevack, It is a way for people to share their experiences so that students or parents shopping for an expensive college degree can make an informed, educated decision. The site is totally non-commercial, and is not designed to stop students from going to Full Sail. In fact, there are also positive reviews and comments. According to many of the student postings, the school does not provide an education that is worth the cost of the tuition.

According to the students lawyer, Stephen H. Sturgeon, an internet lawyer in Washington, DC, The decision in this case is a victory for freedom of speech. Fortunately, many of the legal decisions regarding the Internet demonstrate that the little guy can win and that individuals can express their opinions. We have won other Internet law cases against large corporations such as Microsoft, Bell Telephone, Motorola and Johnson & Johnson - in spite of the fact that our clients have been individuals or small companies.

The domain name dispute decision can be viewed at: http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/decisions/html/2003/d2003-0502.html

The federal court case is Full Sail, Inc. v Ryan Spevack, Case No. 03-CV-887, United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division

The Official Full Sail Sucks website is: http://www.fullsailsucks.com

Full Sail Inc, can be reached at http://www.fullsail.com
Phone: 407-679-0100

Ryan Spevack can be reached at: e-mail protected from spam bots

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