Cybersquatting case against Russian cryptocurrency scammer — Tesla wins

Panel orders all 52 domains used in scams to be transferred to Tesla.

Tesla has successfully recovered 52 domain names that leveraged its brand and Elon Musk’s likeness to promote cryptocurrency and phishing scams.

In a UDRP decision at World Intellectual Property Organization, panelist William A. Van Caenegem found (pdf) that Russian resident Ekaterina Tkachenko registered the domains in bad faith.

Many of the domains incorporated the Tesla mark alongside terms like “bitcoin,” “bonus,” and “2x,” creating the impression of official Tesla promotions or crypto giveaways.

The automaker provided evidence showing that at least one of the domains resolved to a site displaying the firm’s trademark and a photo of Elon Musk. The site told users to send cryptocurrency to a wallet address with the promise of getting double their money back.

As stated by Tesla, most of the domains were blocked by browsers and antivirus software due to phishing concerns by the time it filed the dispute.

Van Caenegem noted that the sheer volume of domain names registered in a short span, many of which included Tesla’s brands, left no doubt that the respondent was targeting the firm.

He ordered all 52 domains transferred to Tesla.