Volkswagen drives to victory in WIPO domain dispute
23-08-2016
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Business publisher Euromoney Institutional Investor has won a domain name dispute at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
WIPO’s Arbitration and Mediation Center transferred the domain euromoney.market to the publisher.
The company filed a complaint on June 23 against respondent Eric Chen.
It said the domain is confusingly similar to its trademark, that he has no rights or legitimate interests in it, and that it is being used in bad faith.
Chen did not respond to Euromoney’s complaint.
Euromoney owns trademarks for the term ‘Euromoney’ in the EU, US and UK. They were registered from 1973 to 2009.
The disputed domain was registered on January 6 and is being used in connection with a website that purports to provide financial investment news.
Douglas Isenberg, sole panellist in the dispute, found that the domain is confusingly similar, that the respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in it, and that is is being used in bad faith.
Euromoney successfully argued a prima facie case and Isenberg ruled that the domain is being used inter alia to “divert internet traffic from the complainant, thereby interfering with the complainant’s business”.
He added that it is “inevitable” that the domain will confuse internet users into believing the domain is registered with Euromoney.
The decision is available here.
This was first published on World IP Review.
WIPO’s Arbitration and Mediation Center, Euromoney Institutional Investor, domain names, cybersquatting, trademark,
