Addicting.com domain lawsuit settled

Addicting.com owner keeps domain and pays token amount to Addicting Games.

Picture of judge's gavel

A lawsuit over the use of Addicting.com has been settled.

Addicting Games sued Addicting.com in an in rem action, claiming that the domain name was cybersquatting.

While the domain name indeed showed ads related to online games, it appears that the owner of Addicting.com owned it ahead of Addicting Games gained any rights in the Addicting mark. That means the domain owner didn’t violate the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) and transferring the domain to Addicting Games would be an inappropriate remedy.

Instead, Addicting.com’s owner Federal Investment Group, LLC has agreed (pdf) to pay $7,500 to Addicting Games and to refrain from using the domain in a way related to games. It has agreed to a $1,500-a-day penalty if it does, plus the potential to have the domain transferred to Addicting Games.

Federal Investment Group has smartly removed parked ads from the domain.

Both parties will pay their own attorneys’ fees.

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