Kentucky Judge to Rule on Oral Arguments in Seven DaysToday Judge Heard From Lawyers of Companies Whose Domain Names Commonwealth is Trying to Seize |
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A Kentucky judge heard arguments from attorneys who represent companies whose domain names the Commonwealth is attempting to seize today and said he’ll rule on the issues presented in the briefs within seven days.
In the 3.5 hour hearing, the judge heard oral arguments that were presented as briefs last week. Yesterday, the Internet Commerce Association held an “emergency summit” alongside a Kentucky grassroots association in Frankfurt to denounce the governor’s legal maneuver that, if successful, would give Kentucky possession of 141 domain names there.
The judge could dismiss the case brought to him by the government of Kentucky, thanks to the arguments, or allow it to continue. The judge will decide if Kentucky could seize the domain names at a future forfeiture hearing.
The Commonwealth is trying to use a law that allows it to seize gambling devices. In this case, Kentucky officials, spearheaded by Gov. Steve Beshear, claim that the domain names are devices and legally should be forfeited.
The list of 141 domain names contains the names of eight poker sites and many online sportsbooks and casinos, but not one site that solely takes wagers on horse races online.
Kentucky counts a large portion of its income on the horse racing industry, and the attempted shutting of what could be defined as direct competition to the horse-race industry could be interpreted as a way for the governor to level the playing field for the online horse books.
Beshear is a proponent of casino gambling and wants Kentucky to allow up to seven casinos there, but he has met resistance from his fellow lawmakers and has abandoned his casino push until next year.
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