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Super Mario jumps on domain squatter

Lackadaisical Nintendo finally says 'it's-a me!'

Nintendo has take control of the domain name SuperMario.com – fifteen years after it was first registered by a third party.

The games company recently filed a cybersquatting complaint with the US National Arbitration Forum over the address, but the case was resolved before a formal hearing could be held as the previous owner agreed to transfer the domain to Nintendo.

It's not unusual for big companies to file complaints using the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy to claim back domains that use their brand names, but it is unusual for a company to wait so long.

Whois records show that SuperMario.com was registered back in February 1996. Archive.org shows that for most of the time since then, the domain showed a placeholder or "parked" page.

It was not until the owner of the address started providing links to playable versions of some of Nintendo's games last year that the company decided it wanted the address.

The company is not a vigorous enforcer of its trademarks in the online world – UDRP records show that most of the 29 cybersquatting cases it has filed since 2000 regarded its Pokemon-related brands.

Today, other classic characters such as SuperLuigi.com and PrincessDaisy.com remain parked in the hands of third-party registrants. ®

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