Domain name hijacking AJAX.FOOTBALL

Domain name hijacking AJAX.FOOTBALL

Since 2013 many new domain name extensions have been launched. One of them is .FOOTBALL (especially for Football teams). From June 2015, the domain name became available to the public, for 19 Euros per year. Last autumn the domain name AJAX.FOOTBALL is registered by a third party (not Ajax or its fan club). This person sends an email to Ajax offering to transfer the domain name for the amount of 6.500 Euros.

Luckily there is no need to start an expensive procedure at the court, in order to fight domain name hijacking. A good alternative is a simple and relatively cheap procedure before the WIPO. The demand has to fulfill three conditions.

Firstly, the domain name has to be identical (or very similar) to the trademark of the demanding party. AJAX is a registered trademark, so the first condition is met.

Secondly, the registrant has no legal rights or interests in relation to the domain name. This is the case, because the registrant trades under another name on the market and he was not granted permission to use the name, Ajax.

At last, the registration has to be in bad faith. In this case, bad faith was proven by the email of the registrant, offering the domain name for a price which is a lot higher than the registration costs (6.500 Euros versus 19 Euros). Therefore, the domain name has to be transferred to Ajax.

About Abcor

Abcor specializes in applying for trademark and design rights. We do this worldwide for both SMEs and international companies, but often everything starts with an initial Benelux application. Our aim is to relieve the client of all the worries, which is why we take care of all the steps, from initial advice on what to apply for and how, right through to registration.

In addition to applying for trademarks, we also manage portfolios for our clients. We ensure that trademarks are renewed on time, that the right organizations are paid (given the many fraudulent companies), and we support our clients on issues.

In addition, we are sparring partners for our customers on new products and how to shape and claim new ideas.

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Newsletter: Abcor ABC Magazine

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• Stichting Nederlandse Top 40: gericht op Benelux?
• Tijdschrift HART vs Hermitage: soortgelijkheid
• Monique Granneman: nieuwe partner Abcor

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