[bigboydan]

Bodog (SBR rating A) experiencing issues with website URL. Players can access their Bodog accounts at www.NewBodog.com using their same account ID and password or by calling 1-888-263-000

Bodog website down, domain name issues

Legal dispute over the ownership of the domain name bodog.com is the reason for the gambling website going offline.

Bodog website down, domain name issues Many Bodog players and bettors woke up to an error when trying to access the website bodog.com or any other related brand. Later today a redirect was set up to a new domain name "newbodog.com", which is still in a process of completion. A statement on the new Bodog website read:

Welcome to the new (temporary) Bodog. As you may know by now, Bodog.com is experiencing a technical issue impacting our players' ability to access our website.

This is the result of a legal dispute over the ownership of the Bodog.com domain name. We are fighting this dispute. We are confident that we will win, but until all is settled, I do not want our battle to interrupt your play.

So, I present you with newbodog.com. You won't notice very many changes: same website, same brand, same product, and same service. Just a new domain name.

We are working to resolve any remaining issues on the temporary site as soon as possible, and fully expect to have our original site back up shortly.

I sincerely apologize if you were affected by our interruption and assure you that I will update you soon.

The statement was signed by the Bodog owner and online gambling mogul Calvin Ayre. We will publish an update on this story when it becomes available.

[SBR_John]

This one is going to leave a mark no matter what happens from here. Seems like pretty swift court action if I read this correctly. A company filed suit against Bodog on Aug 1, received a judgement on Aug 21 and siezed the domain name a week later?? Hmm... I'm not a lawyer but that seems extremely fast.

[pags11]

not a good thing at all with football season right around the corner...

[magnavox]

Bodog.com works fine for me.

[tblues2005]

they are trying to get them to go down but they got smart and changed their site that's all. I am surprised they didn't do this before this happened. It did go through pretty quick though.

[20Four7]

From Gambling 911

Bodog, lost its domain name (www.bodog.com), the result of a default judgment obtained by 1st Technology LLC of Las Vegas, Nevada. That company claims Bodog failed to answer allegations that downloaded software used by its customers to gamble online infringed upon 1st Technology's patents.

[jjgold]

I got in fine

[Ganchrow]

From http://www.online-casinos.com/news/news5197.asp:

Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 Online-Casinos.com

BODOG REACTS TO DOMAIN LOSS

Surprise litigation shuts down traditional Bodog brands....but New Bodog.com now in action

The past 24 hours have been a torrid time for the webbies and owner of the Bodog.com brand. The online gambling and entertainment group, which trademarked its brands some time ago, has been under siege following a Seattle court order that has hamstrung its brands....at least for now.

Bodog staff put in plenty of overnight overtime to set up New Bodog.com as a temporary solution for an issue that has serious implications for the company and its business.

The first intimation that something was wrong was when players around the planet found they could not access the usual Bodog links on Tuesday. Amid confusion and concern, the gambling group stepped up to explain that the problems were the result of a dispute over the ownership of the Bodog.com domain name, which the group was fighting. In the meantime, an alternative site had been set up for the use of customers.

As Online-Casinos.com/InfoPowa went to press it appeared that the US legal situation and Bodog's possible vulnerability in regard to appearing in the USA may have played a hand to the company's disadvantage.

On August 1st a Washington State judge in Kings County, Seattle issued a court order on the registrar for Bodog.com to have the domains taken down due to an unanticipated "patent infringement" claim.

It was part of an uncontested judgement in favour of a company called 1st Technology LLC against Bodog Entertainment Group, with the former apparently winning an award of $48 937 456.

It is not yet clear whether Bodog was aware of the action, or decided that it was too risky to enter the States or be represented in defending it. The group may not have wanted to give the USA the power of jurisdiction over it. In any event, Bodog did not appear and suffered for it.

Known Bodog registered domains have been suspended, and as an immediate 'bandaid' solution the company registered New Bodog.com - the company has trademarked the Bodog brand and founder and CEO Calvin Ayre has said it is going to fight the action with determination.

The implications for brand, business, search engine positioning and other elements are clearly significant.

According to Internet searches, 1st Technology LLC is "....a leading technology licensing company with a patent portfolio of advanced Internet and multimedia innovations.

"1st Technology is headed by Internet pioneer Dr. Scott Lewis who led the development of the world's first single integrated circuit chip with on-board video and audio compression, advanced adaptive digital signal processing technology at Oxford University, and introduced multiple broadband Internet and multimedia technologies. 1st Technology has a long list of industry leaders as licensees.

"The [alleged Bodog] violation relates to the method for the production and transmission of enhanced multimedia information.

"An optimization method is disclosed that enhances the interactivity of multimedia information. The optimization method includes separating a multimedia information into primary and secondary layers and enhancing that information in the primary layers such that the perceived psychographic information quality is improved. This method has the advantage of providing compression and/or transmission algorithms to maximize enhancement of the multimedia information."

"Nearly all aspects of the [Bodog] website have been updated to reflect the environment our clients are accustomed to," says Ayre. "We are working to resolve any of the minor remaining glitches on the alternate site, but other than that it is business as usual."

The timing of the litigation is significant and presumably intended - the first two to three weeks of North American football are the busiest of the year for online sportsbetting in that market sector.

[Justin7]

An interesting way to attack a book... What if the DOJ starts getting civil judgments against books operating in the US under "Civil Rico"? Scarey thought.

[SBR_John]

There is no need for Calvin to appear. Companies are sued worldwide everyday. You don't see Bill Gates appearing anywhere.

For whatever reason, it seems like Bo didnt take this seriously. Bodog's lawyers could have shown up and made any number of defensive legal counter measures.

No excuse. Hopefully, this is a wake up call at Bodog. Someone should be terminated and the entire management team should be evaluated. Certainly someone within the structure could have raised a voice. I hope Bodog will explain how this could happen and what is being done to prevent future reoccurrences.

[bigloser]

No excuse. Hopefully, this is a wake up call at Bodog. Someone should be terminated and the entire management team should be evaluated. Certainly someone within the structure could have raised a voice. I hope Bodog will explain how this could happen and what is being done to prevent future reoccurrences.

And hopefully we will see a downgrade. With all these incompetent managers bets to be safe.

[Dandy Lion]

I spoke with a lawyer who if familiar with the history of this this morning. He said 1st Technology had made numerous demands of Bodog and Bodog, meaning Calvin, ignored them and said they weren't subject to US law. It has nothing to do with any managers.
Bodog has never said they weren't infringing the patents, they just said there was nothing 1st technology could do about it.

Calvin was kicked out of law school, according to some bio I saw somewhere. Whoever he got his legal advice from should have been kicked out too.

[operaman]

Most of the people who gamble there have already made the switch. newbodog is about %80 the trafic level as bodog.
(guestimate on poker volume)

This might cause alot of damage to the brand name, but existing customers seem to be undaunted.

I don't think many gamblers take kindly to this happening to a book and this might get bodog some sympathy.

( I might be biased, cause bodog has been very very good to me. Especialy during the whole wwts episode.)

[Dandy Lion]

This might cause alot of damage to the brand name, but existing customers seem to be undaunted.

I don't think many gamblers take kindly to this happening to a book and this might get bodog some sympathy.

I think the more accurate statement is that daunted customers seem to be non-existant. Who with the intelligence to be "daunted" would still be at Bodog anyway after what's happened in the last three months?

What happening to a book is it that "many gamblers" don't take kindly to? Having to pay someone whose property you stole? You seem to be implying that many gamblers approve of theft without consequences.