Last but not least: Zermatt in Thai
For some, globalization can sometimes become an adversary—namely, when an Asian company secures a Swiss town’s name as a web address: The prestigious resort town of Zermatt is still unable to use the address Zermatt.com to attract tourists from around the world.
For some, globalization can also become an adversary - namely when an Asian company secures a Swiss municipality name as an Internet address: The upmarket health resort of Zermatt can no longer use the address Zermatt.com to attract tourists from all over the world. Following a decision by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Zermatt has been denied the address for the time being. The owner of the address remains a Thai tourism company with a strong business presence in Zermatt. It had snapped up the domain. The municipality and the Zermatt Tourism Association protested against this at the WIPO - but to no avail. The people of Valais still have the option of taking civil action. It is still unclear whether they will take this route. As a consolation, the resort already owns the address Zermatt.ch. However, the .com address is better known worldwide than the Helvetic ending, Zermatt's mayor Christoph Bürgin told SDA. After all, the Thai company advertises Zermatt on its website - above the belt.
