WHOIS

["Aurelio Fernandez Fdez-Pacheco" <affp@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Sirs, 
 
Information displayed within WHOIS databases is very useful and important for 
trademark owners and also for consumers.
 
If ownership of domain names is not displayed it will help bad faith 
registrants to carry out their abuses which affect trademark owners but also 
consumers in very different manners. Moreover it could affect the development 
of internet in itself and electronic commerce. 
 
For instance, is very common that a consumer carry out a kind of "due 
diligence" check, to verify that the owner of a domain name is the true owner 
in order to avoid frauds when buying goods through internet. Eliminating WHOIS 
ownership information will impede the consumer to do that. The result could be, 
more frauds, because this due diligence cannot be conducted and the consumer 
can trust the domain name or less electronic commerce as the consumer can also 
stop buying goods if he cannot check the true origin of the domain name.
 
Regarding trademark owners, we, as attorneys, use very frequently whois to 
check the owner of a domain name which has been registered in bad faith, 
helping us to conduct due diligence checks, to consider legal strategies, etc.
 
So, we strongly consider that WHOIS database should be maintained open to 
public inspection.
 
Best regards
 
Aurelio Fernández Fdez.-Pacheco
 
Lerroux & Fernández-Pacheco
Núñez de Balboa, 54, 3º
28001-Madrid
T: +34 91 593 0072
F: + 34 91 594 2824