Files in rem cybersquatting lawsuit against Oved .com — Law firm
Firm claims Oved.com is cybersquatting on its brand.
A Fresh York law firm has filed an in rem lawsuit (pdf) against the domain name Oved .com in an effort to acquire the domain name without paying for it.
Oved & Oved LLP filed the in rem lawsuit yesterday in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.
It’s an odd choice of venue. The lawsuit states:
Plaintiff files this in rem Complaint against the Domain Name in this district since the Domain Name’s registrar and authoritative domain registry are located in this district…
The Registry is physically located in Virginia, and the registrar, GoDaddy, is in Arizona. Typically, law firms file in rem lawsuits against .com domains in Virginia.
The current owner of the domain purchased it upon expiration in 2012. Whois lists an owner in Ukraine. The registrant monetizes the domain name through Above.com. When I visited it today, my antivirus software blocked an exploit that is likely through a parking firm’s zero-click service.
In 2007, Oved & Oved filed a trademark application for “Oved & Oved LLP Attorneys & Counselors at Law”. It claims common law rights in the Oved mark.
The lawsuit alleges that the domain name owner has posted it for sale at the “extortionate price” of $30,000.
It will be interesting to see if the domain name owner responds to the dispute. It’s also interesting to think regarding why the firm chose to file an in rem lawsuit rather than a UDRP.
