Another WIPO sweep by retailers?

[draggar]

Looks like Walmart and CostCo filed some WIPOs (and got most of them).


http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-1158.html
wal-mart-electronics.com
wal-martequiserve.com
walmaetemployment.com
walmairt.com
walmart-digitalcams.com
walmartbenbefits.com
walmartbenerfits.com
walmartcreditcadr.com
walmartdistrubutioncenter.com
walmarthire.com
walmartperpaid.com
walmartschoolsupplies.com
waltmartpharmacy.com
wammmart.com
wwwalmartbenefits.com
> Transfer, cancellation in part


http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-1225.html
costcoexterior.com
costcopainting.com
costcoremodeling.com
costcoreplacmentwindows.com
costcowindows.org
> Transfer

 

[randomo]

Looks like Walmart and CostCo filed some WIPOs (and got most of them).

Good for them!

People who register those kinds of trademark/typo domains hurt the public perception of our community.

 

[Focus]

damn they missed some real obvious ones...they should hire me! lol

 

[draggar]

Good for them!

People who register those kinds of trademark/typo domains hurt the public perception of our community.

I agree and the Costco ones were a weak defence.

The Respondent is Pacific Home Remodeling, Inc., Los Angeles, California, United States.

Respondent does not contest that the domain names at issue are confusingly similar to Complainant’s marks. Respondent seems to assert that it has rights and legitimate interests in respect of the domain names at issue, since it intended to use the domain names at issue in respect to a joint marketing program with the Home Service Store for exterior coating (Texcoat) which was to be marketed through Complainant’s web site. Respondent denies that the domain names were registered and were being used in bad faith, because the names were registered for the purpose described above and that Respondent “mistakenly redirected traffic from [the domain names at issue] to [Respondent’s] own web website by filling up [Respondent’s] domain name in the wrong location.”

Sorry, I don't believe this one. You don't accidentally point one site to another (IMO its not easy to do this by accident).

 

[BobDiGiTaL]

Whew, none of mine are on that list.

 

[Biggie]

it's a repeating cycle


they keep taking these names away and then let some expire


if you're a "pattern checker", look to see how many they renew and for how many years



that's how you can see how much value they put on "protecting" their mark, after the fact.


in some instances it's cheaper for them to just keep taking them and letting them expire... as another domainer picks it up and the game continues



during the process everybody still makes money:

the tm holder, gets some money back when visitors click on relevant paid ads
the lawyer or mark monitor, because they work to get the names back
the domainer, from the revenue produced on the names
the registrar/backorder service who auctioned the name
the ppc service who got a cut of the ppc revenue

 

[dvdrip]

It makes you wonder...
Is it the lawyer that "wants" these domains? Or is it the TM holder?
When I see a lot of them expiring I start to believe that it's the lawyers.

It's a very easy way to make a lot of money.
Copy paste complaints and charge the TM holder for hundreds of hours as you convince them that they "need" them. That is what I would do. That is why I love beating greedy lawyers at UDRP. Who is next?

 

[flamewalker]

draggar is correct... it is not so easy to redirect traffic... it really depends on what you do with the site. If you are simply parking it, then you really don't control the links (other than to allow/disallow terms). If you uploaded a program, such as a cms or the like, you have to put links in to the other url (they default to the local url usually). If you created a static page/dynamic page, you have to type in the 'wrong' url.

I can see if if you are dead drunk doing the site... but all in all, its very hard to "accidentally" redirect traffic. You know what they say... better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!