Piracy is a complicated problem to tackle and some anti-piracy strategies are more effective than others.

Site blocking is fairly common, but determined pirates can usually find a way around it. Targeting the domain names directly can work as well but not all registrars and registries are receptive to complaints.

WIPO Domain Disputes

When it comes to domain names there is an indirect option too. The World International Property Organization (WIPO) has an arbitration panel that’s specifically set up to resolve domain name disputes.

The process, which doesn’t involve any courts, is quite simple. Rightsholders file a complaint against a domain owner who they believe is violating their rights. This only applies to domains that abuse registered trademarks in their name, which often makes it hard to use as an anti-piracy tool.

Steinberg Targets VST Pirate Sites

The trademark angle means that it can be used in a limited number of cases. German music hardware and software company Steinberg nonetheless decided to go down this road. Specifically, it goes after pirate sites that use its VST trademark, which stands for Virtual Studio Technology, a popular music creation plugin interface.

These VST plugins, which can be quite costly, are widely shared on pirate sites. In a recent WIPO complaint, Steinberg singled out crackedvst.net, vscrackofficial.com, vst-mafia.com, vst-torrents.com, vstcracks.net, vstplugs.com, vsttorrents.net, crackedvst.com, and vstland.com.

These are mostly smaller sites that have a targeted niche audience. According to Steinberg, their domains clearly violate its trademark while offering pirated content, also that of competitors.

Domain Owners Respond

In these cases, the WIPO panel always reaches out to the accused party to hear their side of the story. This outreach triggered a short response from one of the registrants, Ghulam Muhuddeen, who appeared to confuse the dispute with a takedown notice.

“I am not used your VST name, send me Software List I am removed your software [sic],” Muhuddeen told WIPO in a short response.

A more elaborate reply came in later from an Indian lawyer, representing one of the affected domain owners. That letter pointed out that VST is a widely used word and that the trademark in India is owned by a tractor company. Instead, the lawyer accused Steinberg of attempting to steal the domain.