Reglikedomain industry desk

GSF.com cybersquatting dispute ought to have been reverse domain name hijacking

GSF.com cybersquatting dispute ought to have been reverse domain name hijacking

The domain name owner was at least owed an explanation.

Blue image with the letters UDRP

A guy named Greg Foltz registered the domain GSF.com in 1993. He used it for his family and business (they are his initials, following all).

Over thirty years later, Golden State Foods Corp comes along and files a UDRP against the domain name, claiming cybersquatting.

This case was obviously going nowhere.

UDRP panelist Sozos-Christos Theodoulou correctly determined that the domain owner had rights or legitimate interests in the domain and denied the case.

But despite this innocent domain owner having to hire a lawyer to defend against a baseless case, and despite that domain owner asking for a finding of reverse domain name hijacking, and despite the Complainant being represented by counsel, the panelist denied a finding of reverse domain name hijacking.

Worse, the panelist didn’t bother to give a reason:

Based on the available record, the Panel sees insufficient basis on balance to conclude that the Complaint was brought in bad faith and accordingly declines to make a finding here of reverse domain name hijacking.

Gee, thanks for showing you put some thought into that.

Tsk, tsk.

Also on the wire

Other reporting from the domain desk.

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