A panelist from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ruled that Alba Edible Oils Pty Ltd attempted reverse domain name hijacking over the domain AlbaOil.com. The domain is owned by FindYourDomain.com, a domain investment firm that purchased it in 2021.
The panelist, Nick Gardner, concluded that FindYourDomain did not target the Australian cooking oil manufacturer at the time of acquisition. Instead, the firm routinely acquires domains containing the term “alba” or ending in “oil,” indicating that the purchase was made as part of its standard business operations. Gardner noted that the firm had clear proof for its actions.
Alba Edible Oils misinterpreted the domain’s availability, mistakenly believing it was for sale only through GoDaddy’s brokerage service, a standard practice for all domains registered with that service. The company also claimed that the owner’s phone number was linked to scam calls, which was inaccurate as it was actually pointing to GoDaddy’s Domains By Proxy service.
Gardner found that Alba Edible Oils failed to prove two critical elements of the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP): that FindYourDomain had rights or legitimate interests in the domain and that it engaged in bad faith registration or use of the domain. He remarked on the complainant’s lack of due diligence in recognizing the domain’s generic nature and the numerous legitimate businesses that could claim an interest in it.
The decision marked another reverse domain name hijacking case for Bennett Litigation and Commercial Law, which represented the complainant. The firm was also involved in a similar case regarding the domain Tyrone.com just weeks prior. The outcome highlights the importance for companies to perform thorough research before filing disputes over domain names.
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