Cybersquatting

In 2006, Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the Blackberry smart phones, filed a UDRP for BlackberryWorld.com, and it was awarded the domain name by the three member UDRP panel in January of 2007. This domain name had been initially registered in 2004, and the domain owner did not respond to the UDRP proceeding.

According to the UDRP decision, RIM alleged that the “disputed domain name is being used by the Respondent to offer “Blackberry” accessories in the form of chargers, headsets, cases and other accessories, including batteries, desktop stands, books, battery doors, global adaptor clips, screen protectors, and USB cables.” Looks like the owner was onto something with the Blackberry World branding.

This morning, TechCrunch reported that RIM has rebranded its app store, and it is now known as Blackberry World. Of course, the company is using the once disputed domain name, BlackberryWorld.com  for its website.

I often see domain names that are won via UDRP go unused, which is sort of ironic when you realize that many ISPs are going to monetize those dead pages. I wonder if Research in Motion had the foresight in 2006 to know that the company was going to use Blackberry World as its app stor branding, or if they chose it based on the availability of the domain name.

Moncler is a popular French luxury clothing and accessories brand, and the company is in the midst of a battle against counterfeiters who produce knockoffs of their products. Not only are they trying to stop the producers, but they are also trying to stem the tide of websites unlawfully selling Moncler-branded items.

On the Moncler website, the company says “Moncler is waging a battle against the rampant phenomenon of counterfeiting. It is on the front line in the battle to defend the authenticity of its brand and its identity, and to protect the consumer.”

Over the last few years, Moncler has been filing UDRPs to try and take control of these domain names the company believes is confusing to consumers. Many of the UDRP filings the company has undertaken have been for tens of domain names. For instance, this UDRP filed at the end of October includes 27 domain names the company believes is infringing.

Every day, it seems like I get dozens of spammy comments that have backlinks to domain names with Moncler in them. I hadn’t even heard of Moncler until I was getting all the comment spam with the company’s name in the links.

If comment spam is any indication of how well this battle is going, I think Moncler has a long way to go.

Someone sent me a link to this You Tube video featuring former Citizen Hawk CEO  Graham MacRobie discussing the company’s business model. The video isn’t new, but it does give a clear explanation of what Citizen Hawk does and how the company makes money.

If you aren’t aware, Citizen Hawk is a brand protection company. According to its website, one of Citizen Hawk’s primary investors is Maveron LLC, a venture capital firm founded by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Interestingly, Maveron was one of the major investors in Internet REIT, a company that was involved in  cybersquatting litigation with Verizon and also accused of cybersquatting on other brands as well.

This video isn’t new, but it’s worth watching since Citizen Hawk continues to be active with its UDRP filings.