University, Go Back to Math Class — Hey Ashford

University loses claim for domain name registered five years prior to its existence.

Bridgepoint Education’s Ashford University has lost a UDRP case for the domain name Ashford.net since it doesn’t understand how dates work.

Bridgepoint bought Franciscan University of the Prairies in 2005 and renamed it Ashford University. It also got the corresponding Ashford.edu.

In this UDRP case the University went following the owner of Ashford.net, but the domain name was registered all the way back in 2000. Yes, the domain name does have pay-per-click ads for education and financial aid. But it’s impossible that the domain name was registered in bad faith five years ahead of Ashford came into existence. That does not compute.

Perhaps Bridgepoint’s lawyers need to take some math classes at Ashford.