Published Works | World Trademark Review | 12 April 2023

UDRP complainants: Beware when domain names predate trademark rights

Unicaf Ltd (previously UNIC Online Limited), the owner of the EUTM UNICAF, sought the transfer of ‘unicaf.com’ under the UDRP. The respondent claimed that he had registered the domain name in 2011, much earlier than the complainant’s change of corporate name. The panel found that there was nothing in the record to suggest that the respondent had the complainant in mind when registering the domain name, or even that the complainant was active at the time.

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