Gap Files UDRP Against Gap.org (Updated)


GAP, the clothing retailer, has filed a UDRP against the Gap.org domain name. The UDRP was filed at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The UDRP is WIPO Case D2019-2337.

Gap.org was originally created in April of 1997, making the domain name over 20 years old. The domain name is currently registered under Whois privacy at GoDaddy, so the current registrant is not publicly known. According to NameBio, the Gap.org domain name sold on Flippa in 2016 for $3,850. You can see the archived Flippa listing here.

At the time of publication, the domain name does not resolve to an active website for me.

I know that Gap has a pretty strong trademark on the GAP branding, but I don’t see how it should win this UDRP. Not only is gap a very common word, but there are many companies, organizations, and people who either have GAP as their acronym or initials. With the domain name not resolving for me, I can’t see how the clothing retailer will be able to prove that the domain name was registered and is being used in bad faith.

I will keep my eye on the filing.

Update: The decision is not yet published, but the WIPO website is reporting this as a win for the complainant.

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

13 COMMENTS

    • I think the forwarding may be done by a visitor’s ISP rather than the domain registrant.

      Check from your phone or a different ISP.

      • I think you’re right. We’re using ATT Uverse. When I try with my iPhone with WIFI off, it’s offline.

        I wonder what right does Uverse have to modify the intention of the domain owner?

  1. Looks like it was pointing to a site promoting watches until earlier this year. Registrant has screwed up and this could go either way depending on the panelists view of registered in bad faith.

  2. Domain owners should be up in arms when a large company tries to seize an asset from someone in the community. Why is everyone so nonchalant about this? There is no justification for this dastardly act on the part of Gap Inc. to try to abuse udrp to wrestle this domain name from its owner. How about we support fellow domain owners when this happens rather than finding bogus reasons why reverse hijacking is legitimate.

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