Short letter domain names are a rarity in the domain name industry. Most 2 and 3 letter .com domains have already been acquired. And whatever has been left, domain disputes are fought for them!
WIPO arbitrated a case where two parties were contesting over the domain name Voi.se. The Complainant here is VOI Technology AB of Sweden.
The Complainant is a Swedish firm which was incorporated in 2018. The Complainant engages in renting services for e-scooters in Sweden. The Complainant owns Word and figurative trademarks over VOI in the EU registered in October 2019 and October 2021 respectively.
The Complainant states that the disputed domain wasn’t being actively used by the Respondent. The Complainant argues that Bad Faith is not limited to active use of the domain name against other entities. Passive holding of a domain name could be attributed to the same as well.
The Respondent registered the disputed domain in December 2021. The Respondent is a domain name investor which has invested in several short domain names including .se domains. The Respondent claims that investing in domains is a legitimate business practice, more considering the value associated with short domain names.
The panel found that the domain name was registered after the Complainant registered its trademarks. However the panel failed to find any evidence, a criteria that is essential for any UDRP procedure to succeed. The Respondent is a domain name investor and acquired the domain name in a demonstrated pattern where he bought short domain names.
The Complaint was denied.
You can read the full case here.
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