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{{short description|American businessman}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = | honorific_prefix =
| name = Dennis Eric Toeppen | name = Dennis Toeppen
| honorific_suffix = | honorific_suffix =
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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1964}} | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1964}}
| birth_place = ] | birth_place = ]
⚫ | education = AS, BS, BS, MS, MBA
| disappeared_date = <!-- {{Disappeared date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (disappeared date then birth date) -->
⚫ | alma_mater = ] <br/> ] <br/> ]
| disappeared_place =
| disappeared_status = | years_active = 1983–2019
⚫ | known_for = Web domain litigation, bus transportation
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_place = | website = {{URL|toeppen.com}}
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⚫ | education = BS, MS, MS, MBA
⚫ | alma_mater = ] <br/> ] <br/> ]
| occupation = Bus company owner
| years_active = 1983 -
| employer = Self-employed
| organization = ]
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'''Dennis Toeppen''' is an entrepreneur from central ] and the owner of bus company ]. '''Dennis Toeppen''' (born 1964) is an American entrepreneur and owner of bus company Suburban Express. He was a party to two cases of ] relating to domain name registration.
<ref name="Dodson_Article">{{cite web |url=http://www.toeppen.com/oldarticles/1990_0408_news-gazette_article.pdf |title=News-Gazette (Champaign)|first=Don | last=Dodson | date=1990-04-18}}</ref> He is also known for being a party to two cases of ] relating to Domain Name registration.


== Early life and education == == Early life and education ==
Dennis Eric Toeppen grew up in ]. He graduated from ] in 1982 and enrolled at the ], majoring in electrical engineering. He later changed his major to business, and graduated in 1987.<ref name="farewars" /> Thereafter, he obtained a bachelor's degree in economics from th University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master's degree in transportation from ] and an MBA from the ].<ref name="DT">{{cite web |url=http://www.toeppen.com |title=Dennis Toeppen's website|accessdate=June 20, 2013}}</ref> Dennis Eric Toeppen grew up in ]. He graduated from ] in 1982 and enrolled at the ], majoring in electrical engineering. He later changed his major to business, and graduated with a BS in Finance in 1987.<ref name="farewars" /> Thereafter, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he earned a BS in Economics, ], where he earned an MS in Transportation, and ], where he earned an MBA, and ], where he earned an AS in Construction Management.<ref name="DT">{{cite web |url=http://www.toeppen.com |title=Dennis Toeppen's website|access-date=June 20, 2013}}</ref>


== Bus Transportation == == Bus transportation ==
In 1983, Toeppen started ], a bus company which provides transportation from Urbana-Champaign and several other towns containing universities to ]. After a price war with ] which involved two Illinois Commerce Commission investigations initiated by Greyhound, Suburban Express' ticket sales equaled that of Greyhound by 1985.<ref name="farewars">{{cite news | work=Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) | title=Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound | first=Dan | last=Rozek | date=1985-10-20}}</ref> In 1983, Toeppen founded ] to provide transportation from University of Illinois to Chicago Suburbs. Toeppen attacked monopolist ] using a novel approach not subject to regulation as a public utility. By 1985, Toeppen had captured approximately 50% of Greyhound's ridership.<ref name="farewars">{{cite news | work=Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) | title=Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound | first=Dan | last=Rozek | url=http://toeppen.com/daily-herald-fare-wars-toeppen.pdf |date=1985-10-20|access-date=2016-02-22}}</ref>


Toeppen also started Allerton Charter Coach, a charter bus company with three buses and four vans as of 2014.<ref name="Allerton">{{cite web |url=http://www.allertoncharter.com/buses.html |title=Allerton website|accessdate=January 28, 2014}}</ref> Toeppen also started Allerton Charter Coach, Inc., a charter bus company with three buses and four vans as of 2014. It operated as a subcontractor for Suburban Express.<ref name="Allerton">{{cite web |url=http://www.allertoncharter.com/buses.html |title= Buses |publisher= Allerton Charter website|access-date=2014-01-28}}</ref>


Suburban Express and Allerton Charter Coach stopped operating in May 2019. Said Toeppen, "I stopped enjoying this business around 2001, and I think it's beginning to show."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-suburban-express-bus-company-closes-20190508-story.html|title=Suburban Express shuts down|website=www.chicagotribune.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-09}}</ref>
== Domainning activities==
⚫ In 1995, Toeppen registered about 200 internet domain names including some which were similar to well known companies and popular trademarks.<ref name="Internet Encyclopedia"/> Some of them included panavision.com (]), deltaairlines.com (]), neiman-marcus.com (]), eddiebauer.com (]) and yankeestadium.com (]).<ref name="Internet Encyclopedia">{{cite book | title=The Internet Encyclopedia: P - Z | author=Bidgoli, Hossein | pages=455}}</ref> Some of these companies, like Delta Airlines,<ref name="NYT Delta">{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/21/business/compressed-data-what-s-in-a-web-name-sometimes-mistaken-identity.html | title=Compressed Data; What's in a Web Name? Sometimes, Mistaken Identity | work=New York Times | date=September 21, 1998 | accessdate=2013-06-28 | first=Peter | last=Wayner}}</ref> paid Toeppen to acquire the domain names from him.<ref name="Irish Times">{{cite news | url=http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/technology/make-sure-you-have-control-of-your-domain-or-prepare-to-pay-the-price-1.1409784 | title=Make sure you have control of your domain – or prepare to pay the price | date=2013-05-30 | accessdate=2013-06-28 | author=Newenham, Pamela | work=The Irish Times}}</ref>


== Domain registration & trademark litigation==
⚫ Panavision, a camera manufacturing company, sued Toeppen for trademark infringement instead of paying him $13,000 for the domain. The court ruled in favor of Panavision, forcing Toeppen to relinquish the domain name.<ref name="Internet Encyclopedia"/><ref name="Spinello">{{cite book | title=Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace | author=Spinello, Richard}}</ref><ref name="LegalBattle">{{cite book |last=Graham |first=Lawrence|title=Legal Battles That Shaped the Computer Industry|year=1999 |publisher=Praeger |location= |isbn=1567201784 |pages=135–138}}</ref><ref name="panavision_case">''Panavision Int'l, L.P. v. Toeppen'', 945 ] 1296 (] 1996), ''aff'd'', 141 ] 1316 (] 1998).</ref> In a similar case, Intermatic Inc., a timer manufacturing company, sued Toeppen instead of paying him $5,000 for the domain name intermatic.com.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=The Internet's Gatekeeper May Cash In on Its Role |first=Lewis |last=Peter |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/12/business/the-internet-s-gatekeeper-may-cash-in-on-its-role.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1996-09-12 |accessdate=20 June 2013}}</ref> The case was ruled in favour of Intermatic.<ref name="Internet Encyclopedia"/><ref name="intermatic_case">''Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen'', 947 F. Supp. 1227 (] 1996).</ref> In 1999, US congress made it illegal to knowingly register websites containing trademarks with the ].<ref name="Irish Times"/>
⚫ In 1995, Toeppen registered about 200 internet domain names including some which were similar to well known companies and popular trademarks.<ref name="Internet Encyclopedia"/> Some of them included panavision.com (]), deltaairlines.com (]), neiman-marcus.com (]), eddiebauer.com (]) and yankeestadium.com (]).<ref name="Internet Encyclopedia">{{cite book | title=The Internet Encyclopedia: P - Z | author=Bidgoli, Hossein | pages=455}}</ref> Some of these companies, like Delta Air Lines,<ref name="NYT Delta">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/21/business/compressed-data-what-s-in-a-web-name-sometimes-mistaken-identity.html | title=Compressed Data; What's in a Web Name? Sometimes, Mistaken Identity | work=New York Times | date=September 21, 1998 | access-date=2013-06-28 | first=Peter | last=Wayner}}</ref> paid Toeppen to acquire the domain names from him.<ref name="Irish Times">{{cite news | url=http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/technology/make-sure-you-have-control-of-your-domain-or-prepare-to-pay-the-price-1.1409784 | title=Make sure you have control of your domain – or prepare to pay the price | date=2013-05-30 | access-date=2013-06-28 | author=Newenham, Pamela | newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref>


⚫ In 1996, ], a camera manufacturing company, sued Toeppen for trademark infringement instead of paying him $13,000 for the domain. In 1998, the court ruled that Toeppen had to relinquish the domain name to Panavision.<ref name="Internet Encyclopedia"/><ref name="Spinello">{{cite book | title=Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace | author=Spinello, Richard}}</ref><ref name="LegalBattle">{{cite book |last=Graham |first=Lawrence |title=Legal Battles That Shaped the Computer Industry |year=1999 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=1567201784 |pages= |url=https://archive.org/details/legalbattlesthat0000grah/page/135 }}</ref><ref name="panavision_case">''Panavision Int'l, L.P. v. Toeppen'', 945 ] 1296 (] 1996), ''aff'd'', 141 ] 1316 (] 1998).</ref> In a similar case brought in 1996, ] Inc., a timer manufacturing company, sued Toeppen rather than pay him $5,000 for the domain name intermatic.com.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=The Internet's Gatekeeper May Cash In on Its Role |first=Lewis |last=Peter |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/12/business/the-internet-s-gatekeeper-may-cash-in-on-its-role.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1996-09-12 |access-date=20 June 2013}}</ref> The court ruled that the domain be transferred to Intermatic but ruled Intermatic had not proven willful trademark infringement or unfair competition.<ref name="intermatic_case">{{cite journal|title=''Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen'', 947 F. Supp. 1227 (N.D. Ill. 1996)|url=https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.ilnd.58935|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref>
== Arrest ==

In July 2014, Toeppen was arrested and released on bail on two counts of "harassment through electronic communications," a misdemeanor in Illinois, going back to the spring of 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2014-07-16/bus-company-owner-charged-online-harassment.html |title=Bus company owner charged with online harassment |author=Ditman, Tim |work=] |date= July 16, 2014 |accessdate=July 16, 2014}}</ref>
Both the Panavision and Intermatic cases were matters of ] for the U.S. Courts in dealing with trademarks and domain registrations.<ref name="first_impression">{{cite journal|title=''Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen'', 947 F. Supp. 1227 (N.D. Ill. 1996)|url=https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.ilnd.58935|date=23 March 2001|access-date=15 June 2016|quote="As in Panavision International LP v Toeppen...The particular issues in this case were primarily issues of first impression and at the relevant period there was a lack of legal precedent regarding issues arising from the intersection of trademark law and the Internet."}}</ref> The practice of registering trademarked words as domains for sale to trademark holders became known as "]", a term that was first used by a court in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=Avery Dennison v Sumpton|url=https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/property00/domain/AveryD.html|website=Intellectual Property in Cyberspace: Domain Names & Trademarks|publisher=Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="origins_cybersquatting">{{cite web|last1=Isenberg|first1=Doug|title=The Origins of 'Cybersquatting'|url=http://www.gigalaw.com/2015/11/18/the-origins-of-cybersquatting/|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref> In November 1999, after the Panavision case had ended, and while ''Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen'' was still pending, the United States gave trademark holders a cause of action against registrants of domain names containing trademarks, in the ].<ref name="Irish Times"/>

By 2023, Toeppen's domain sales from the initial domain registrations totaled more than USD 2 Million. <ref name="DT2">{{cite web |url=http://www.toeppen.com/domains.html |title=Dennis Toeppen's website|access-date=June 7, 2023}}</ref>


== References == == References ==
{{reflist|30em}} {{reflist}}


{{Persondata
| NAME = Toeppen, Dennis
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American businessman
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1964
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toeppen, Dennis}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Toeppen, Dennis}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]

== External links ==

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Latest revision as of 14:50, 4 November 2024

American businessman
Dennis Toeppen
Born1964 (age 60–61)
Mount Prospect, Illinois
EducationAS, BS, BS, MS, MBA
Alma materUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Northwestern University
University of Chicago
Years active1983–2019
Known forWeb domain litigation, bus transportation
Websitetoeppen.com

Dennis Toeppen (born 1964) is an American entrepreneur and owner of bus company Suburban Express. He was a party to two cases of first impression relating to domain name registration.

Early life and education

Dennis Eric Toeppen grew up in Mount Prospect, Illinois. He graduated from Prospect High School in 1982 and enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, majoring in electrical engineering. He later changed his major to business, and graduated with a BS in Finance in 1987. Thereafter, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he earned a BS in Economics, Northwestern University, where he earned an MS in Transportation, and University of Chicago, where he earned an MBA, and Parkland College, where he earned an AS in Construction Management.

Bus transportation

In 1983, Toeppen founded Suburban Express to provide transportation from University of Illinois to Chicago Suburbs. Toeppen attacked monopolist Greyhound Lines using a novel approach not subject to regulation as a public utility. By 1985, Toeppen had captured approximately 50% of Greyhound's ridership.

Toeppen also started Allerton Charter Coach, Inc., a charter bus company with three buses and four vans as of 2014. It operated as a subcontractor for Suburban Express.

Suburban Express and Allerton Charter Coach stopped operating in May 2019. Said Toeppen, "I stopped enjoying this business around 2001, and I think it's beginning to show."

Domain registration & trademark litigation

In 1995, Toeppen registered about 200 internet domain names including some which were similar to well known companies and popular trademarks. Some of them included panavision.com (Panavision), deltaairlines.com (Delta Air Lines), neiman-marcus.com (Neiman Marcus), eddiebauer.com (Eddie Bauer) and yankeestadium.com (New York Yankees). Some of these companies, like Delta Air Lines, paid Toeppen to acquire the domain names from him.

In 1996, Panavision, a camera manufacturing company, sued Toeppen for trademark infringement instead of paying him $13,000 for the domain. In 1998, the court ruled that Toeppen had to relinquish the domain name to Panavision. In a similar case brought in 1996, Intermatic Inc., a timer manufacturing company, sued Toeppen rather than pay him $5,000 for the domain name intermatic.com. The court ruled that the domain be transferred to Intermatic but ruled Intermatic had not proven willful trademark infringement or unfair competition.

Both the Panavision and Intermatic cases were matters of first impression for the U.S. Courts in dealing with trademarks and domain registrations. The practice of registering trademarked words as domains for sale to trademark holders became known as "cybersquatting", a term that was first used by a court in 1998. In November 1999, after the Panavision case had ended, and while Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen was still pending, the United States gave trademark holders a cause of action against registrants of domain names containing trademarks, in the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.

By 2023, Toeppen's domain sales from the initial domain registrations totaled more than USD 2 Million.

References

  1. ^ Rozek, Dan (1985-10-20). "Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound" (PDF). Daily Herald (Arlington Heights). Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  2. "Dennis Toeppen's website". Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. "Buses". Allerton Charter website. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
  4. "Suburban Express shuts down". www.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  5. ^ Bidgoli, Hossein. The Internet Encyclopedia: P - Z. p. 455.
  6. Wayner, Peter (September 21, 1998). "Compressed Data; What's in a Web Name? Sometimes, Mistaken Identity". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  7. ^ Newenham, Pamela (2013-05-30). "Make sure you have control of your domain – or prepare to pay the price". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  8. Spinello, Richard. Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace.
  9. Graham, Lawrence (1999). Legal Battles That Shaped the Computer Industry. Praeger. pp. 135–138. ISBN 1567201784.
  10. Panavision Int'l, L.P. v. Toeppen, 945 F. Supp. 1296 (C.D. Cal. 1996), aff'd, 141 F.3d 1316 (9th Cir. 1998).
  11. Peter, Lewis (1996-09-12). "The Internet's Gatekeeper May Cash In on Its Role". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  12. "Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen, 947 F. Supp. 1227 (N.D. Ill. 1996)". Retrieved 15 June 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. "Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen, 947 F. Supp. 1227 (N.D. Ill. 1996)". 23 March 2001. Retrieved 15 June 2016. As in Panavision International LP v Toeppen...The particular issues in this case were primarily issues of first impression and at the relevant period there was a lack of legal precedent regarding issues arising from the intersection of trademark law and the Internet. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "Avery Dennison v Sumpton". Intellectual Property in Cyberspace: Domain Names & Trademarks. Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  15. Isenberg, Doug. "The Origins of 'Cybersquatting'". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  16. "Dennis Toeppen's website". Retrieved June 7, 2023.

External links

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