Roche, Lego, and Google File Most Domain Arbitration Cases in 2009 -
Top UDRP filers for 2009.
Here’s a message to all the cybersquatters out there: don’t mess with the companies on this list.
Using data from UDRPSearch, Domain Name Wire tabulated the total number of UDRP cases filed by these companies in 2009. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, given that both WIPO and National Arbitration Forum use different names for some companies, and some companies even use multiple names when filing cases with the same provider. Furthermore, ... read more ...
Tag Archives: wipo
Tue 19th January 2010
German Lottery Provider Gets NKL.com Back 3 Years After Theft -
Lottery wins domain name it says was stolen in 2006.
German state-owned lotto company NKL Nordwestdeutsche Klassenlotterie has won the transfer of the NKL.com domain name, three years after the domain name was allegedly stolen. NKL won the domain name through a WIPO proceeding.
In a strange series of events, it appears the domain name may have been stolen in 2006 but NKL didn’t realize this until 2009. The domain name was set to expire on October 10, 2006. In ... read more ...
Thu 14th January 2010
Swiss Federal Railways Domain Case is One Big Train Wreck -
Swiss Federal Railways fails in attempt to get SBB.com domain name.
Swiss Federal Railways has lost its case at World Intellectual Property Organization to get the domain name SBB.com.
The respondent in the case had founded a company under the name Small Black Box, Ltd. When that company ceased operations under the name, the domain’s ownership was later transferred to the respondents’ personal name.
The panel found that the respondent has rights and interests ... read more ...
Wed 13th January 2010
Explosive Fight over Meth Lab Cleanup (and other Fun UDRPs) -
I’ve finally found someone to clean up that meth lab in my basement.
Every once in a while I come across a pending domain name dispute under Uniform domain-name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) that makes me scratch my head in bewilderment.
Here’s one such case: Meth-LabCleanup.com. The case was just filed at National Arbitration Forum, so we don’t know who filed it yet. But there is an operating web site at MethLabCleanup.com, and the site at Meth-LabCleanup.com ... read more ...
Tue 12th January 2010
Panel Hands VisitNorway.us to Owner of VisitNorway.com -
A warning to owners of “Visit” domain names.
A National Arbitration Forum has handed the domain name VisitNorway.us to Innovasjon Norge, dba Innovation Norway, which owns the domain name VisitNorway.com. The basis for transfer is that the complainant owns common law rights to the term “VisitNorway”. It has applied for a U.S. design trademark for the term, but it is still pending.
This case was a bit disturbing, so I did a little digging on “visit location” ... read more ...
Mon 11th January 2010
Willie Mays Wants His (Domain) Name Back -
Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays asks arbitrator to get domain name WillieMays.com.
Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays has filed for arbitration with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to get the domain name WillieMays.com. The case was posted to WIPO’s web site this morning.
The “Say Hey Kid” played for the New York and San Francisco Giants before concluding his career with the New York Mets.
The domain name is currently registered to “Global ... read more ...
Sun 10th January 2010
Mozy Backs Up Domain Names with WIPO Win -
Online backup service wins one domain — with another case pending.
Online backup service Mozy, a Decho service owned by EMC, has picked up the domain name Mozy.nl through arbitration at World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). .Nl is the country code for the Netherlands.
In its complaint, Mozy alleged that the domain’s owner, another online backup service called BackUpsOnline.nl, admitted to receiving leads through the domain name and offered to sell ... read more ...
Mon 28th December 2009
2009 Domain Dunce Award: Panelist Andrew F. Christie -
“My scenario is where someone named James Wilson Marriott has jwmarriott.com…”
That’s a great scenario. Clearly, what you describe would be a scummy, rotten, unlawful, and bad faith thing for him to do. He should be stopped from running those hotel ads.
In fact, you describe the allegations in two ACPA cases in which a domain name was not transferred. Mr. Uzi Nissan did in fact run ads relating to foreign cars at his nissan.com domain name. He has been enjoined from advertising ... read more ...
Thu 10th December 2009
Good Luck Finding a UDRP Arbitration Provider Contract with ICANN -
No contract exists with UDRP providers.
With two UDRP arbitration providers trying to change up the rules, attorney Jim Davies tried to get his hands on the contract between ICANN and its approved UDRP providers. He hit a stumbling block: there is none.
You can see the details of his request for the contract in his public comments (submitted as an individual, not on behalf of his firm or clients) on ICANN’s web site. But it’s worth reprinting them here.
I ... read more ...
Wed 2nd December 2009
ICA Asks ICANN to Halt Expedited Domain Arbitration Plans -
Domain owner organization wants ICANN to review expedited UDRP proposals.
Internet Commerce Association has sent a letter to ICANN, asking it to halt plans by two domain name arbitration providers to introduce different version of expedited UDRPs.
The plans by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Czech Arbitration Court (CAC) represent a major overhaul of UDRP policy, yet both organizations are trying to institute the change by merely adjusting their ... read more ...
Mon 30th November 2009
Paris Wins Parvi.org in Disturbing Domain Name Arbitration Decision -
Paris wins domain as arbitrator throws out “registration AND use” in bad faith.
In September I wrote about the city of Paris, France filing a UDRP against three domain names: WifiParis.com, Wifi-Paris.com, and Parvi.org. Paris was just handed a victory in the Parvi.org case; the other two cases are pending.
What’s disturbing about the Parvi.org case is that the panel found that the domain name was likely not registered in bad faith, but still handed the domain ... read more ...
Mon 16th November 2009
Rate of Domain Cybersquatting Hits All Time Low -
Rate of cybersquatting continues decline.
The rate of cybersquatting, as measured by arbitration filings under Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy, has hit an all time low.
A Domain Name Wire analysis of UDRP filings dating back to 2000, the first year UDRP was widely used, showed marked declines. UDRP filings were compared to the total number of .com domain names in existence each year to calculate an effective rate of cybersquatting.
Although .com domain names ... read more ...
Cheech and Chong Smoke Out Domain Name -
Domain owner: pack that in your pipe and smoke it!
Comedy duo Cheech Chong have won rights to the CheechandChong.com domain name through arbitration at World Intellectual Property Organization.
Did you ever think you’d see “Cheech Chong” and WIPO in the same sentence?
I first wrote about this story back in September, predicting that the comedians would win the case. But it wasn’t as clear cut as I originally thought. As it turns out, Cheech Chong first ... read more ...
Thu 12th November 2009
Coming Soon: File a UDRP Domain Name Dispute for $250 -
Arbitration provider wants to offer $250 expedited UDRPs.
[Update: The 250 fee is actually in Euros, and is the panelist’s fee. CAC will also collect a 250 EUR fee, making the minimum fee 500 EUR]. Earlier this month I reported on WIPO’s plans to introduce a fast-track UDRP proceeding. It would cost less and be decided faster than traditional UDRPs. At the time, I predicted that WIPO’s competitors would follow suit because of venue shopping.
It looks like ... read more ...
Fri 6th November 2009
After Winning Case, Man Hands Domain Name to Glenn Beck -
Man gives controversial domain name to Beck after proving a point.
Isaac Eiland-Hall just won a highly publicized case against Glenn Beck over the domain name glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com. As soon as he won, he did something surprising: he offered the domain name to Beck for free.
In a letter (pdf) to Beck, Eiland-Hall explained that he has met his objectives with the domain name and web site, and points out to Beck that bringing the case made things ... read more ...
Mon 2nd November 2009
WIPO to Offer Fast Track UDRP Without ICANN Approval? -
WIPO plans to make fast-track UDRP on its own.
Managing Intellectual Property published an article today saying World Intellectual Property Organization will offer a fast-track UDRP starting next year.
No, this is not the proposed “Uniform Rapid Suspension”. And, according to the article, WIPO says it can introduce this “Fast Track” without any interaction from ICANN.
How can WIPO do this? It plans to make changes to its supplemental UDRP rules. These are ... read more ...
Mon 26th October 2009
Noss Calls Out WIPO during ICANN Meeting -
WIPO’s inconsistency called out at ICANN meeting.
Tucows CEO Elliot Noss seized an opportune moment to call out UDRP provider World Intellectual Property Organization during the first day of ICANN’s Seoul meetings.
During a session on Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery, WIPO’s Eun-Joo Min commented that one of the problems with domain expiration is that registrars handle it inconsistently and in a non-transparent manner:
I think it is really important for ... read more ...
Wed 21st October 2009
Sony picks adult Walkman.net. But will it do anything with it? -
Sony wins a Walkman domain name, but don’t count on a new web site any time soon.
Sony Corporation has been awarded the domain name Walkman.net in a domain arbitration case at World Intellectual Property Organization.
Sony invented the iconic Walkman in the late 70s. Walkman became somewhat of a generic term for portable music devices (similar to Scotch Tape for clear tape) until MP3 players went mainstream this decade. Sony still uses the brand for its portable ... read more ...
Thu 8th October 2009
Arbitrator Hands DKB.com to Deutsche Kreditbank -
Three letter domain name awarded to bank.
An arbitrator with World Intellectual Property Organization has awarded the domain name DKB.com to Deutsche Kreditbank AG. The owner of DKB.com, DKB Data Services, had invalid contact information and may have been dissolved — which probably explains why it didn’t respond to the complaint.
Arbitrator John Swinson found that the domain was registered in bad faith because it has not been used:
The Respondent has apparently ... read more ...
Thu 1st October 2009
Hot off Press: Domain Owner Responds to Glenn Beck -
Response filed in Glenn Beck domain dispute.
Most UDRP domain dispute proceedings make for dry reading. But when someone who has created a bitingly satirical web site works with his lawyer to put pen to the paper, the end result can be quite amusing.
Such is the case in Glenn Beck’s fight for the domain name glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com.
If you haven’t read about this case yet, the domain owner created the web site because of an internet meme ... read more ...
Mon 28th September 2009
Cheech & Chong Try to Smoke Out Domain Name -
Comedians file for arbitration to get domain name.
Comedy duo Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong are reuniting — to go after the domain name CheechandChong.com. After a long separation, the pair have been making numerous appearances and a tour together. So it naturally follows that they’d want to grab the domain name. A complaint was filed World Intellectual Property Organization and should be resolved within a couple months.
The domain name is currently ... read more ...
Fri 18th September 2009
Are we Kidding .Me? Project.me in Domain Dispute -
Another crazy domain name dispute.
A company has filed for arbitration on the domain name Project.me at World Intellectual Property Organization.
Confused? So was I. Claiming rights to the term “Project” seems like a stretch.
I did a little research and here’s what I’ve come up with. All searches for the complainant, project.me GmbH, lead to a software company at Projectme.eu. I emailed the current domain registrant to see what’s going on. As he ... read more ...
Tue 15th September 2009
Arbitrator: If You Own .Com, You Should Get a Rest -
Got the .com? You have a right to ccTLDs and other TLDs, says arbitrator.
Here’s a World Intellectual Property Organization case that should raise some alarms.
A panelist has awarded the domains sexywebcam.mobi and sexywebcam.tv to the owner of SexyWebCam.com, which also has a trademark for SexyWebCam.com. Arbitrator James A. Barker noted that the trademark includes .com, and is very different from having a trademark to the term ‘sexywebcam’. Nonetheless, ... read more ...
Sun 13th September 2009
Oreo Gets Stuffed in Netherlands Domain Dispute -
Kraft loses domain dispute for Oreo.nl.
Kraft Foods Global Brands has lost a dispute over the domain name Oreo.nl. .Nl is the country code domain name for the Netherlands.
A single arbitrator panel ruled that Kraft had not proven that the domain’s registrant did not have rights or legitimate interests in the domain name. The owner of the domain had used it for e-mail earlier this decade.
The panel also debated the merits of claims to trademark rights on the term ... read more ...
Wed 9th September 2009
4 Ways to Reform UDRP NOW -
Here are some needed reforms to UDRP.
Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP) has some problems. Here are four quick ways to improve it.
1. Only allow an additional submission if specifically asked for by panel. UDRP rules prescribe that the complainant in a case can only make an addition submission (usually a response to the respondent’s claims) if specifically asked to do so by the arbitration panel. But most of the time an additional submission is submitted ... read more ...