Domain Name Dispute
Our client discovered that a third party had registered a domain name and was using it to make money from advertising which redirected visitors to our client's competitors. After investigating the circumstances, we were able to advise our client that it had a strong chance of success if it chose to make a complaint to the World Intellectual Property Organization under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy which provides an alternative to traditional, legal routes.
The other party was represented by Ari Goldberger, one of the world’s leading domain name lawyers. Despite a strong defence, the majority of the panel hearing the case agreed that we had satisfied all of the requirements under the Policy and ordered that the domain should be transferred to our client. They also agreed with our innovative argument that a registrant did not obtain any rights or legitimate interest in the domain name (one of the three hurdles any complaint must pass) from using the site purely for advertising.