Of reverse domain name hijacking — UNiDAYS guilty

Firm that uses MyUnidays.com tries to hijack Unidays.com.

UK firm MYUNiDAYS, which offers products at a discount to college students under the UNiDAYS brand, has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking in a cybersquatting case.

The firm uses MyUnidays.com for its web address and filed a cybersquatting UDRP complaint against Unidays.com.

UNiDAYS launched in 2011 and obviously chose the MyUnidays.com domain name since Unidays.com was by now registered. The current registrant of the domain has owned the domain name since 2007.

UNiDAYS made multiple offers to purchase the domain name but was unsuccessful. It then filed the dispute with World Intellectual Property Organization.

Since Unidays.com was registered by the current owner prior to UNiDAYS even existing, it was impossible for it to claim that the domain name was registered in bad faith. Thus, the three person panel found UNiDAYS guilty of reverse domain name hijacking:

In the view of the Panel this is a Complaint which ought to never have been launched. The Complainant knew that the Domain Name was registered nearly 6 years ahead of the Complainant came into existence, let alone when it purchased any rights in the UNIDAYS Mark. It made two offers to purchase the Domain Name, and following the rejection of those offers and the registration of the UNIDAYS Mark, chose to bring this Complaint.

The complainant was represented by Actons Solicitors and the domain name was defended by John Berryhill.

UNiDAYS UDRP reverse domain name hijacking