Reverse domain name hijacking win — HugeDomains gets
Firm opted to file a UDRP instead of paying just $2,695 to buy the domain.
Domain investment firm HugeDomains.com has successfully defended one of its domain names in a cybersquatting dispute, and the firm that brought it has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking.
A firm that sells rocks and crystals at rockncrystals.com.au filed the dispute.
The firm wanted to get RockNCrystals.com when it expired but HugeDomains beat it on the drop. It then tried to buy the domain from HugeDomains for $1,000. The list price was apparently $2,695.
At this point, the Complainant filed a trademark application in the United States and filed the UDRP.
It told the World Intellectual Property Organization that not getting the domain would force it “to effectively kill our firm and start a fresh one.”
The panel was not amused by this silly claim. It pointed out that the Complainant by now has a domain it has been using for its site.
I also wonder why the firm chose to file a poorly-argued UDRP for $1,500 (it actually paid more since HugeDomains chose a three-personal panel) when it could have bought the domain for only a bit more.
The panel found that the filing was insufficient on all three elements of UDRP and that it filed the case in abuse of the policy.
