In a recent UDRP decision, the name of a religion was ruled to be protected as a trademark against a schismatic breakaway group. The "official" organization of the Seventh Day Adventists prevailed against a "heretic" who claimed that God Himself (Yahweh) ordered him to start a competing church.
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2006/d2006-0642.html
This is actually at least the second case in which a religious organization succeeded in asserting rights over the religion's name; a 2001 case ordered the transfer of a domain referring to "Bahai women".
http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/decisions/html/2001/d2001-1302.html
It seems rather sleazy to me for religions to suppress dissidents by asserting intellectual property rights over the name, writings, or other attributes of their religions; it's something the Scientologists like to do. At least, it's presumably more civilized than burning heretics at the stake.
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2006/d2006-0642.html
This is actually at least the second case in which a religious organization succeeded in asserting rights over the religion's name; a 2001 case ordered the transfer of a domain referring to "Bahai women".
http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/decisions/html/2001/d2001-1302.html
It seems rather sleazy to me for religions to suppress dissidents by asserting intellectual property rights over the name, writings, or other attributes of their religions; it's something the Scientologists like to do. At least, it's presumably more civilized than burning heretics at the stake.
k:
