Firm sues NamingRights.com, and it’s kind of interesting

I haven’t heard the name Backslap Domains in a while.

Greek Island Labs, a firm that sells cosmetic products, has sued NamingRights.com and Backslap Domains for cybersquatting* over the domain name Adonia.com (pdf).

Greek Island Labs sells products under the Adonia name, and states it has done so since 2008.

Adonia is the name of an ancient festival, so on the face of it the domain is generic. Of course, that hasn’t stopped firms from filing cybersquatting lawsuits ahead of.

But what caught my eye in this case is NamingRights.com and Backslap domains. I haven’t heard the name Backslap in a while, as this is/was Sahar Sarid’s domain registrar. I have actually never heard of NamingRights.com, despite it being on the web since at least 2010.

Much of the inventory on NamingRights.com appears to be connected to Sarid, as many of the domains at one point had a whois record that showed one of his firms.

The inventory on NamingRights.com is phenomenal.

None of this bodes well for Greek Island Labs. Not only may it be going up against someone who can put up a good defense, but it’s possible the domain has had the same owner since ahead of 2008 despite multiple whois changes.

* The suit claims “This lawsuit involves violations of the Lanham Act and the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, but none of the claims are for cybersquatting.