Tag Archives: Websites

June 23, 2012 · 6:23 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Nevada Hotel Owner Files “Trademark Infringement” Lawsuit Against Website Operator; Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order

The suit says Marchex has been using a domain name called Aceplay.com, purporting to offer information about the Stratosphere and three other American Casino properties; the two Arizona Charlie’s in Las Vegas and the Aquarius in Laughlin…The suit also claims the website at issue infringed on American Casino’s “ace PLAY” loyalty club trademark.

“…U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro issued a temporary restraining order requiring a domain name registrar to immediately remove or disable the aceplay.com domain name, place it on “hold and lock” and transfer it to the control of the court…”

According to the LasvVegasSun.com, the owner of the Stratosphere hotel-casino in Las Vegas has filed  suit against Marchex (MCHX) for alleged trademark infringement over the domain name AcePlay.com. American Casino claims in its suit that Marchex Sales Inc. has been involved in trademark infringement and ‘’cybersquatting,’’ which involves the registration of a website domain name that is similar to another party’s trademarked-name. Wednesday’s lawsuit says the site also includes links to online gaming sites and that Marchex is believed to generate “click-through” revenue from the online casinos.

American Casino “owns the exclusive right to use its ace PLAY trademark in connection with gaming services”

For more:  http://www.thedomains.com/2012/06/22/marchex-gets-sued-by-the-stratosphere-hotel-casino-in-las-vegas-over-the-domain-aceplay-com/

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Filed under Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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May 8, 2012 · 7:04 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: “Americans With Disabilities Act” (ADA) “Website Accessibility” Lawsuits Will Force Hotels To Update Websites To Service Disabled Guests

“…Charles Schwab… announced last week that they settled a year-long claim by a blind customer that its website was inaccessible to blind, low vision and cognitively challenged customers….”

 Not only does your website need to comply with the substantive requirements for listing hotel accessible features, for example, but the website itself needs to be accessible to disabled customers.

You need to ask yourself some questions. For example:

  • What standards of accessibility is your website hosting?
  • How do you measure website compliance?
  • How often do you audit your website for ADA compliance?

Charles Schwab joins a list of 15 prominent companies which have settled website accessibility complaints. Charles Schwab agreed that it will make its website more accessible and inclusive for all customers, and agreed to implement the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.0 Level AA which will make its website navigable by disabled customers.

An informal complaint backed by the threat of litigation and administrative investigations was lodged with Charles Schwab by the lawyer for a blind day trader. The claimant was a long-time Schwab customer and herself a computer programmer. One morning, she found that she could no longer navigate the Schwab website using JAWS software and was prevented from making trades on-line. The

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has not approved and adopted any formal standards for website accessibility and recently withdrew its Notice of Proposed Rule Making for web access standards. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has been working for years and has promulgated the WCAG which is widely recognized as the “gold standard” for web access. However, given the almost daily changes in technology and the complexities of cyberspace, there are no official website standards.

Most recent DOJ investigations and settlements have focused on website accessibility. Target Corp. recently paid over $6 million to settle a website ADA class action.

For more:  http://hotellaw.jmbm.com/2012/05/ada_compliance_-_charles_schwab_settlement.html

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Filed under Guest Issues, Legislation, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Technology, Training

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December 2, 2010 · 9:27 am

Hotel Industry Risk Management: “GuestChecker.com” And Its “Twitter” Site Represent A Trend In Current And Future Web-Based Solutions To Guest Security Issues

http://twitter.com/GuestChecker

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November 18, 2010 · 6:06 pm

Hospitality Industry Profile: “Growth Of Loyalty Programs” Is Central To Hotel Websites Ability To Improve Brand

“The growth in loyalty program membership has had a more positive impact than many hospitality brands would have imagined in a mature market,” said Claude Guay, President and CEO of iPerceptions. “Loyalty programs have taken on a life of their own, not only stimulating visitor’s intent to return to the website, but in also keeping brands at the top of mind when making travel plans.”

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/11/18/prweb8007565.DTL#ixzz15gpY2Z5u

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