New York-based company Office Space Solutions has sued domain name reseller Jason Kneen in an attempt to secure the domain workbetter.com, registered 16 years before it started using the term.
Kneen registered the domain in 1999 but Office Space’s trademark filing on the US Patent and Trademark Office’s website says the company did not start using the ‘Work Better’ term in commerce until February 11 this year—four days after Kneen renewed the domain name.
In May this year, the company received a trademark for the term ‘Work Better’ in class 35, which covers advertising and business services. It had applied for the mark in April 2014.
Office Space Solutions sought injunctive relief for alleged acts of cybersquatting at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York last Wednesday, June 24.
The company accused Kneen of trying to force the company to spend “significant sums” to buy the workbetter.com domain name.
“On May 15, 2014, the defendant attempted to sell workbetter.com to the plaintiff for a figure that he stated would be a high price,” the company said in its complaint.
But Kneen told TBO that Office Space approached him to buy the domain name and had offered him $500, which he refused.
He added that he has not been served any official papers related to the suit.
Office Space added in its complaint: “The defendant is not using workbetter.com. He is simply holding the domain name with a bad-faith intent to profit from the ‘Work Better’ service mark.”
The company argued that Kneen is violating the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act and that his actions have caused, and will continue to cause, irreparable injury to the company.
It has asked for declaratory judgment that Kneen has engaged in cybersquatting and for an order allowing the transfer of the workbetter.com domain name to it.
Office Space had not responded to TBO’s request for comment at the time of publication, but we will update the story should the company get in touch.
Cybersquatting, domain names, trademarks, Office Space Solutions, Jason Kneen; workbetter.com
