Sues Korean fast food chain over cybersquatting claims — Domain investor

Domain owner makes a preemptive move to defend his domain name.

Screenshot for Mom's Touch chicken and burger restaurant website

If the Korean fast food chicken and burger chain Mom’s Touch wants to upgrade its domain name, it will have to fight for it in Colorado.

The chain of over 1,200 restaurants recently started expanding outside of South Korea. It right now uses the domain name MomsTouch.co.kr and believes not having MomsTouch.com is giving it “great trouble providing service and information to our global clients.”

Its parent firm Haimarrow Food Service, Co., Ltd filed a UDRP with Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre in August, but apparently, the case hasn’t been decided yet.

Domain investor GNO, Inc. (Gregg Ostrick) isn’t waiting for the UDRP decision: he filed a lawsuit (pdf) in Colorado, home to domain name registrar Name.com. Haimarrow Food Service, Co., submitted to jurisdiction there when it filed the UDRP.

GNO is asking for declaratory relief and a finding of reverse domain name hijacking.

Ostrick has been the registrant of the domain name since 2006.

Also on the wire