iTunes.co.uk owner will see Nominet in court

The row over the ownership of the iTunes.co.uk domain name will now see domain name registrar Nominet taken to court.

Nominet recently decreed that current iTunes.co.uk owner, Benjamin Cohen, should hand over the URL to Apple because of its all-conquering music download of the same name. Cohen, however, is refusing to give it up, claiming Nominet has no legal authority.

Nominet's authority may now be challenged in the High Court, as Cohen has served the registrar with papers relating to an application for Judicial Review.

Cohen said he decided to pursue the legal action as Nominet's appeal fee - £3,000 plus legal costs - was too prohibitive; adding he believes Nominet's system favours big business in domain name disputes.

Nominet, however, maintains the High Court cannot rule on its authority as it is not a public body.