Analysis of the Kentech Group Limited vs. Qtechweb Case: Understanding a Domain Name Dispute and RDNH

In the WIPO case Kentech Group Limited v. Qtechweb (Case No. D2019-1609), the dispute involved the domain name “kentech.com”. Kentech Group Limited, an Irish company in the engineering and construction services sector, filed the complaint against Qtechweb, a UK-based entity involved in buying, selling, and monetizing generic domain names. The domain name was registered by Qtechweb in 2003.

Kentech Group claimed rights in the “KENTECH” mark based on use and registration, asserting that the domain name was identical to its mark and that Qtechweb had no legitimate interest in it. They also argued that the domain name was registered and used in bad faith.

Qtechweb countered that they were unaware of Kentech Group at the time of registration and that “Kentech” was a common name used by many businesses, thus not unique to the complainant. They argued that their acquisition of the domain name was part of a legitimate pattern of registering ‘tech’-related domain names for resale.

The panel concluded that while the domain name was identical to Kentech Group’s mark, Qtechweb had a legitimate interest in it as part of their business model. The panel also found no evidence of bad faith registration or use by Qtechweb. Consequently, the complaint was denied, and no finding of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking was made.

For more details, you can read the full case at WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2019-1609.

In the WIPO case Kentech Group Limited v. Qtechweb (Case No. D2019-1609), the dispute involved the domain name “kentech.com”. Kentech Group Limited, an Irish company in the engineering and construction services sector, filed the complaint against Qtechweb, a UK-based entity involved in buying, selling, and monetizing generic domain names. The domain name was registered by…