The news about Bodog.com losing its domain came as a rude shock to poker communities. One of the most popular poker sites, Bodog.com had offered poker gamers an exceptional gaming interface and excellent customer service. However, the hard-hitting news has created widespread disappointment.
The issue began when Bodog.com was accused of patent infringement. A Las Vegas company had secured a $48.6 million judgment, by default, in its favor on June 14th. Although the Bodog Entertainment Group, which includes the gaming sites Bodog.net and Bodog.com, hasn't refuted the allegations, most people believe that Bodog has given in to the pressure because the online gambling business per se is threatened by the ban imposed by the US Department of Justice. In recent times, there has been a spate of arrests, which included high profile executives running the online gambling industry. This offers enough reason for Bodog to maintain a low profile and not react violently to the allegations.
The allegation basically indicates a violation of rules pertaining to the production and transmission of multimedia information. In the wake of this development, the online gambling industry is certainly nervy about its future. Furthermore, Bodog is fighting, amongst others, DNS issues for most of its portals. It is still debatable whether the domain name of Bodog.com is owned by the Bodog brand. Apparently, Mel Molnick and the Home Gambling Network Inc (HGN) believe that the domain name has been stolen from them. HGN is a subsidiary of i2corp. The company is the owner of a method patent pertaining to live electronic betting carried out from remote locations.
However, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that Bodog's top shot Calvin Ayre owns the trademark rights to the registered name. It is now certain that a long and intense legal battle is on the way. However, industry experts believe that Ayre would perhaps consider a settlement to lower the cost implications of the issue. This would have been the prime objective of Molnick when he had taken on the big brand and it is now just a matter of time before the issue is resolved amicably.
Bodog has taken a serious dent to its reputation, and it will take a while for the company to repair the damages sustained by brand Bodog. Despite this, Bodog has made a serious effort to ensure that its customers are not disappointed. A new domain has been created with the name www.newbodog.com, where players can continue gaming. For now, it seems the leak has been plugged to a certain extent.
