Two strikes in Mexico — Intel gets
Firm loses two UDRPs for Spanish language domain names.
Big brands occasionally lose cybersquatting disputes. But two in a row with similar circumstances?
That’s what happened to Intel south of the border.
The firm just got back-to-back losses on two Spanish language domain names counting the word “Intel”. Both of the domains are registered to different people in Sonora, Mexico.
The first case involved intelcompras.com. IntelCompras.com is an active business with 120,000 visitors on average per month and sales in excess of 24 million pesos during 2011. The owner stated he chose the name since “intel” is a widely used abbreviation for “intelligence”. So the domain basically translates to “Intelligent Buy”.
The second case involved intelsitio.com and is owned by a firm that provides web services. In this case, the owner claimed it means “intelligent site”.
Both domain owners put up spirited defenses. And it’s no wonder; Intel was effectively trying to take down established businesses.
The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) is designed for clear cut cases of abusive cybersquatting. If Intel believes these firms are trading on the goodwill of its Intel brand, it ought to pursue them on unfair competition or trademark claims (as one of the panelists points out). This isn’t cybersquatting, and certainly not something that ought to be settled by a single person arbitration panel.
