Reverse domain name hijacking: UDRP tossed in French food fight
Panelist stated Ekin SAS left out key details in its filing.
A French food firm has been found (pdf) to have tried reverse hijacking the domain name EkinFrites.com.
As stated by its website, Ekin SAS operates both a frozen food business that sells fries and a restaurant. It uses the domain name ekin.fr.
It filed the dispute against Georges Topal, Financiere FD.
As stated by Topal, Ekin SAS sold the Ekin Frites business to him in 2020, counting a license to the trademark and rights to EkinFrites.FR.
The parties have filed dueling legal actions against each other.
World Intellectual Property Organization panelist Vincent Denoyelle determined that this dispute was outside the scope of UDRP.
He also ruled that this is a case of reverse domain name hijacking for two reasons: one, the Complaint falsely stated there were no ongoing court cases; and two, it didn’t mention the business relationship between the Complainant and Respondent.
