Bundesgericht Domain Name Reservation Case

The appellate court upheld the conviction of the appellant for violating the law protecting public emblems and other public signs (WSchG) by commercially reserving the domain name "www.bundesgericht.ch." The court reasoned that reserving a domain name containing an expression like "Bundesgericht" (Federal Court), which implies an official relationship with the confederation or one of its bodies, is sufficient to establish the objective element of deception under Art. 6 WSchG, even without activating a website, because the registration itself links the name to the appellant's commercial interests, fulfilling the requirement of deliberate action under Art. 13 WSchG.