I was looking through the recent UDRP filings at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) when I came across a filing for the Squirrels.com domain name. The complainant in this case is appears to be a company called Squirrels LLC, and it is identified as WIPO Case D2014-1434.
When I visit the Squirrels.com domain name, I am redirected to another website, and it appears to be a forward based on my location. The current Whois information shows a Los Angeles, California based domain name registrant. The domain name has a creation date of June 1998. According to the Whois history tool, the registrant phone number seems to have been the same as the current number since at least 2005 (there is a gap between 2002-2005 in the History archive), so I assume the same registrant has owned it for quite some time.
I will reserve judgment on this until I see the decision with a response from both parties, but it bothers me when I see UDRP filings on keyword domain names like this. Obviously, squirrels are animals, and I don’t see how one domain registrant would have more rights to a descriptive domain name than another, especially if it turns out that the registrant is the same registrant for nearly (or more than) a decade.
I will keep you apprised when I learn more about the UDRP or see a decision.
Update: Decision was rendered:
“The Panel dismisses the Complaint and declines to order transfer of the disputed domain name
What does it cost owner to defend?
If they win are they able to recoup money and damages as well or could company then go outside udrp and sue as well?
If so, then it seems like it’s all one sided for the company and that there are no true ownership rights if one has to defend and then gets nothing for it when they are right
It’s disturbing to see legitimate owners of names that have no TMs and then years later a corp decides to get a TM and go after an owner rather than pay for name
You’ve got to have nuts to pull a move like that!
(Sorry, I felt like this is probably the one opportunity I will get to make a joke about nuts, squirrels and udrp)
DId you hear about this decision? Did domain owner retain their squirrels domain?
Looks like the domain owner won. This domain is parked on InternetParking.com.
Decision was rendered: http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2014-1434
“The Panel dismisses the Complaint and declines to order transfer of the disputed domain name as requested by Complainant. The Panel also makes a finding of reverse domain name hijacking against Complainant.”