Words Want to Be Free: All the Girls in the World

Case: D2002-0222

Domain(s): worldbank.net

Complainant: International Bank For Reconstruction and Development d/b/a The World Bank

Respondent: Yoo Jin Sohn

The Defense:

- The Complainant has the trademark The World Bank, not worldbank. I think that worldbank is just a noun that everybody can use. If they are right nobody can use this name anymore, what’s the difference if somebody registers the "world trade center" as their trade mark, asking nobody in the world should use the same name on their world trade center which each country has. If The World Bank owns the trade mark like "girl", could that mean they own all the girls in the world?

- I have a dream, I want to build up the network banking system in the future.