Narnia.mobi domain row ends in tears

A 10 year-old has lost his battle with the estate of C S Lewis

The parents who bought the narnia.mobi web domain name as a birthday present for their 10 year-old son have lost a battle with lawyers representing the estate of C S Lewis.

Richard Saville-Smith originally paid £70 for the domain name so that his son could use it as his email address.

The domain was bought after the three-month 'sunrise period' which allows companies to protect their online trademarks before the domains are made available to the general public.

C S Lewis Ltd attempted to wrestle back the narnia.mobi domain, ahead of the May release of Prince Caspian, the second of a planned series of films based on the Chronicles of Narnia.

The company instructed New York law firm Baker & McKenzie to deliver a 128-page dossier urging the family to hand over the domain name.

The author's estate took the case to the World Intellectual Property Organisation headquarters in Geneva, which ruled earlier this week that the domain should be transferred.

"We are shocked by the decision," the mother of Comrie Saville-Smith told The Scotsman.

"We put up a spirited fight because we wanted to prove that you do not have to hand something over just because someone richer and more powerful tells you to do so."

The .mobi domains were made available two years ago for use on mobile phone browsers.