Reverse domain name hijacking charge — Intuit wins

App for runners tries to get domain registered well ahead of it had trademark rights.

the words "reverse domain name hijacking" in pale yellow type on a black bacground, next to a graphic of a pirate face

Financial software firm Intuit has won a reverse domain name hijacking charge against RunSmart Online, LLC.

RunSmart Online, LLC filed a cybersquatting complaint against Intuit’s domain name RunSmart.com. It appears that RunSmart Online, LLC is a modest business that uses the domain runsmartonline.com.

It makes sense that the firm would desire the shorter domain runsmart.com. Unfortunately for it, Intuit registered the domain more than a decade ahead of the Complainant started using the name.

It appears that RunSmart Online, LLC wasn’t represented by a lawyer, and it shows. This case was dead on arrival since it’s impossible to show that Intuit registered the domain to target a non-existent trademark.

Panelist David S. Safran had no problem finding that the case was filed in bad faith as an attempted reverse domain name hijacking.

Fenwick & West represented Intuit.

Also on the wire