Florida developer training firm nailed for Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

Firm went following domain name that was registered ahead of it existed.

A Florida firm that trains developers on agile development and scrum has been found to have engaged in reverse domain name hijacking.

Clearly Agile, Inc., which uses the domain name ClearlyAgileInc.com, filed a cybersquatting complaint against ClearlyAgile.com with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

ClearlyAgile.com is used by another firm that offers somewhat similar services.

As you can imagine given their choice of domain names, ClearlyAgile.com was registered ahead of the Complainant existed.

The Complainant tried to buy the domain in 2016 but the parties didn’t work out a deal. Then a lawyer for the Florida firm sent a demand letter to the domain owner in 2017. It waited another year to file the complaint.

The case was dead-on-arrival since the domain owner could not be found to have registered a domain to target what was a non-existent firm at the time of registration. Thus, panelist Scott Blackmer found that the case was reverse domain name hijacking.

Trenam Kemker represented the Complainant. Fresh Columbia Law Group PLLC represented the respondent.