NovAtel Inc. vs. Registration Private, Domains By Proxy, LLC/Domain Admin, FindYourDomain.com: A Detailed Examination of a Domain Dispute and RDNH
- by Staff
The domain name dispute case NovAtel Inc. v. Registration Private, Domains By Proxy, LLC / Domain Admin, FindYourDomain.com (Case No. D2019-1939) is a significant instance in the realm of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking (RDNH). The complainant, NovAtel Inc. from Canada, argued that the disputed domain name “novatela.com” was confusingly similar to its registered trademark NOVATEL, causing likelihood of confusion. The domain was registered with GoDaddy.com, LLC.
The case unfolded with NovAtel asserting that the addition of the letter “a” in the disputed domain name did not mitigate the confusion. They contended that the respondent lacked rights or legitimate interests in the domain and had registered and used it in bad faith, attempting to sell it for a price beyond reasonable out-of-pocket costs.
Conversely, the respondent argued that the disputed domain name was generic and descriptive in Portuguese, translating to “new screen”, and unrelated to NovAtel’s trademark. They indicated that the domain name was part of their business model involving the sale of generic domain names. The respondent also claimed that NovAtel’s action was an attempt to use the UDRP process in bad faith and requested a finding of RDNH.
The WIPO panel concluded that the domain name, despite incorporating NovAtel’s trademark, did not constitute a case of bad faith registration or use by the respondent. The decision hinged on the generic nature of the domain name and its potential multiple interpretations in different languages. Consequently, the complaint was denied, but the panel did not find enough evidence to support the respondent’s claim of RDNH.
For more details, you can read the full case at WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2019-1939.
The domain name dispute case NovAtel Inc. v. Registration Private, Domains By Proxy, LLC / Domain Admin, FindYourDomain.com (Case No. D2019-1939) is a significant instance in the realm of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking (RDNH). The complainant, NovAtel Inc. from Canada, argued that the disputed domain name “novatela.com” was confusingly similar to its registered trademark NOVATEL,…