A UDRP was filed against the generic one word Playhouse.com domain name at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The sole panelist, Robert A. Badgley, found in favor of the domain registrant and also ruled that this was Reverse Domain Name Hijacking (RDNH). The decision was published this morning on the WIPO website. Zak Muscovitch represented the domain registrant.

In the decision, the domain registrant’s sworn statement about acquiring domain names as investments was published:

A Belgian company called IBA SA filed a UDRP against the valuable IBA.com domain name at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Not surprisingly, the sole panelist, Nick J. Gardner, ruled in favor of the domain registrant. The panelist also ruled this was Reverse Domain Name Hijacking (RDNH). The decision was published today.

The complainant attempted to acquire the domain name for $2,500 in 2021 using a domain broker. According to the panelist’s interpretation of the discussion between the broker and the complainant, the broker told the complainant it” should offer over USD 25,000 if it wishes to make a credible offer.”

In March of this year, OpenAI filed a UDRP proceeding against the ChatGPT.com domain name at the World Intellectual Property Organization. OpenAI’s ChatGPT service has become one of the most popular artificial intelligence-driven chat platforms with well over 100 million users. The company uses chat.openai.com for its ChatGPT platform.

Prior to the filing of the UDRP, ChatGPT.com had been used by a website called ChatAI.com. You can have a look at how it was being used by visiting Archive.org. After the UDRP was filed, Whois privacy was lifted, and the Whois record showed the domain name was owned and used by a company in Puerto Rico called Site Matrix.

It must be concerning to receive a notice of a pending UDRP. Not only might a valuable domain name be on the line, but an investor’s reputation may also be at risk. If a UDRP is filed against one of my domain names – or even if a threat was made – I would consult with a domain name attorney.

Someone posted about receiving a UDRP notice, and I shared this recommendation. It is a good idea to get educated about trademarks and UDRP filings, but I would always work with an attorney on a UDRP defense or even a response to a threat. It’s not worth complicating my situation by responding to a UDRP or a threat on my own without getting advice from an expert.