<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">According to the Applicant's Guidebook: (Section P-2, Article 2)<br><br>“String Confusion Objection” refers to the objection that the string comprising the potential gTLD is confusingly similar to an existing top-level domain or another string applied for in the same round of applications.<br><br>Legal Definition / Explanation for "Confusingly Similar": <div>(see: <a href="http://marklaw.com/trademark-glossary/confuse.htm">http://marklaw.com/trademark-glossary/confuse.htm</a>)<br>You need to see this in the context of comparing two gTLD applications to each other. The key issues is whether there is a likelihood of confusion amongst the consuming public.<br><br>.Africa and .dotAfrica, although completely different strings from a technical perspective, are undoubtedly confusingly similar to each other in a legal context. It would be relatively easy to demonstrate this in objection proceedings. <br><br>Regards<br><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">---</div><div>NeilD</div><div><br></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<br><div><div>On Jul 29, 2012, at 5:47 PM, Nii Narku Quaynor wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div><br>On Jul 29, 2012, at 15:36, SM <<a href="mailto:sm@resistor.net">sm@resistor.net</a>> wrote:<br><br><blockquote type="cite">At 07:33 AM 7/29/2012, McTim wrote:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Either there are two strings (.dotAfrica and .africa) being applied<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">for, in which case they may (or may not) enter into string contention<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">due to being "confusingly similar", OR there are 2 identical strings<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">being applied for.<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The term "confusing" string is used in technical forums to refer to different code points which can be visually similar. I would not describe the case mentioned above as related to "confusing" strings.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote>Some of the IPR world see it differently ie the first way as related to cyber squatting?<br><br>Nii <br><blockquote type="cite">Regards,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">-sm<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">_______________________________________________<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">AfrICANN mailing list<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="mailto:AfrICANN@afrinic.net">AfrICANN@afrinic.net</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann</a><br></blockquote>_______________________________________________<br>AfrICANN mailing list<br><a href="mailto:AfrICANN@afrinic.net">AfrICANN@afrinic.net</a><br>https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann<br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>