A couple in Scotland said on Wednesday they have lost their battle to use a website named after C.S. Lewis's fictional world of Narnia, which they had purchased to give as a gift to their son.

The firm which owns the Irish author's estate, C.S. Lewis (Pte) Ltd., complained to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) that it should own the rights to www.narnia.mobi, bought by Richard and Gillian Saville-Smith.

The couple said they heard on Wednesday that WIPO had ruled in favour of the company.

Baker and McKenzie, the law firm representing Lewis's estate, argued that the couple had used the website domain in "bad faith" in an effort to make money, which the Saville-Smiths denied.

"We bought it as a present for our young son, who is a big fan of the classic books, so that he could use the magical email address '@Narnia'; the contemporary equivalent of a 'real' postal address in Narnia for us older fans," Richard Saville-Smith said.

His wife added that their 11-year-old son Comrie was "fine about it".

"He is a remarkable child and just says it would have been nice to email his friends from a Narnia address, but he is fine."

The couple said they were "shocked and astounded" by the decision, but added that they did not plan to appeal the ruling at a higher court.

AFP was unable to contact Geneva-based WIPO for comment late on Wednesday.

AFP