Owner successfully defends another attack — Bespoke.com domain

Judge tosses latest attempt to get Bespoke.com domain name.

You have to feel bad for Garth Piesse.

The Fresh Zealand resident bought Bespoke.com in a competitive expired domain auction on DropCatch.com in 2014 for $18,805. It was a pretty good deal. But now his legal costs have surely dwarfed his purchase price.

First, Bespoke Services Group S.A. of Switzerland filed a UDRP against the domain name. It lost.

Then, a Fresh Orleans firm called Bespoke, LLC filed a lawsuit under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.

It was going to be hard to convince a U.S. court of jurisdiction over the Fresh Zealand resident, but the Lousiana firm tried its hardest with some far-fetched claims. Piesse, represented by attorney David Weslow, filed a motion to dismiss the Louisiana case in July 2017. A judge dismissed (pdf) the lawsuit this stretch due to lack of jurisdiction.

In some ways, Piesse has a ready defense the next time a firm tries to file a cybersquatting claim against the domain: if three firms think that Bespoke.com infinges their trademark, it will be hard to convince anyone that Piesse was targeting them with his domain registration.