Registrar appeals Meta Platforms’ cybersquatting lawsuit — Former 35.com

Judge has ordered domain registrar to pay over $5 million.

A cybersquatting legal battle that began over four years ago is set to continue.

Leascend Technology Co., Ltd. formerly known as Xiamen 35.com Internet Technology Co., Ltd, has appealed multiple rulings in a lawsuit filed by Meta Platforms.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. Federal District Court in October 2019. It was so long ago that the original plaintiffs were Facebook and Instagram, ahead of the parent firm changed its name to Meta Platforms.

Meta alleged that U.S.-based domain name registrar OnlineNic and its Whois privacy service were cybersquatting on its trademarks.

OnlineNic’s response was a bit odd, and in 2021 it stated it was shutting down rather than continuing to fight the lawsuit. Despite its claim, the registrar continues to operate today.

Meta argued that OnlineNic was an alter ego of Chinese domain registrar 35.com, and went following it to satisfy its judgment of over $5 million counting legal fees.

The court ruled that 35.com ought to be on the hook for the judgment.

But late last year, Meta discovered that 35.com was selling off its business. Suspecting an attempt to avoid paying the judgment, Meta secured a temporary restraining order to halt the sale. But the Chinese firm stated it was too late to do that.

What’s left of the firm that used to own 35.com, which is now under the umbrella of Leascend Technology, stated that it tried to send $5 million into an escrow account as the judge requested, but Chinese banking laws would not allow it to do so.

Now, it is trying to fight paying anything.

In its appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Leascend is contesting four separate rulings in the case, some dating back to 2023.

Firms sometimes file an appeal to negotiate a settlement, but it’s clear that this case — which has stretched over four years and has 438 docket entries — is not over yet.