Before entering into any professional association, written terms of agreement must be established between the entities. These are important in bitter situations when there is a dispute among members. Those agreements help the separation to take place in a smoothened way.
ArtMeta AG is a Swiss entity that is developing a metaverse consisting of a 3D world. The company wanted to provide a unique opportunity to display traditional artworks through the use of NFTs. It even registered the Swiss trademark for ARTMETA in March 2022.
However, one of the former associates of the company was dragged into a dispute. The dispute was over the possession of the domain name ArtMeta.io. The respondent earlier used to work with the complainant.
The respondent presents a paper document stating that it used to function as the CTO of the complainant’s company. After the purchase of the concerned domain name by the company, the domain name was registered by respondent’s account. The respondent claims that it also has Copyright ownership over the work done by him on the platform.
The panel found that the paper document submitted by the respondent wasn’t sufficient alone to establish the relation between the parties. The respondent claims it to be of a partner, while the complainant claims to be that of an employer and an employee.
The panel however, pointed out that the case involved complexity beyond its scope. A legal court or other appropriate forum would be a better alternative in this case.
The complaint was denied, however the panel mentioned that the decision should not mean support for any of the parties concerned.
You can read the case in full detail here.
Join the Discussion