(24 August 2000) ICQ is commonly known as an online instant-messaging service that allows friends in various places around the world to communicate in real-time for free.

America Online, which owns both a company and software called ICQ, has grown into a large Internet company with tens of millions of Internet users in the last few years by offering such services.

On Dec. 8, 1999, China's GameKing Soft Co. registered the domain name www.gameicq.com. The registration authorities of the top domain names are in the United States, and GameKing acquired the domain name legally based on international practices, according to an Aug. 17 Sina.com report.

However, since the middle of July, AOL has sent two formal letters, several-hundred pages long, to GameKing. The first letter asked GameKing to transfer the domain name www.gameicq.com to AOL free of charge. The second threatened GameKing, saying that if it did not give up the domain name immediately, AOL would pursue the matter through legal channels.

GameKing did not reply to either letter.

On Aug. 13, AOL's third letter arrived as promised. The letter accused GameKing of breaching AOL's intellectual property rights and demanded that GameKing appear in court in the United States on Aug. 17. It also specified which clauses of American law GameKing had violated.

According to Sina.com, GameKing registered the Gameicq site fully in accordance with legal procedures. In other words, the domain name itself and its owner are under the protection of U.S. laws. However, now the Americans are using their own laws to bring a suit against something that is protected by those same laws, the article noted.

It went on to say that AOL's third letter was received in China just a few days before the hearing in the U.S., making it impossible for GameKing to appear in court.

GameKing's top executives said that the company will fight against AOL to the end and does not ever plan on relinquishing the domain name Gameicq. If they cannot maintain the domain name's registration in the United States, they plan to register it in China, the story said.