Detailed Analysis of WIPO Domain Name Dispute Case D2017-1930: Inspectorate America Corporation v. Netcorp, LLC
- by Staff
In the domain name dispute case D2017-1930, adjudicated by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, the complainant was Inspectorate America Corporation from Florida, USA. The respondent in this case was Netcorp, LLC, based in California, USA. The dispute centered around the domain name loams.com, registered with PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com.
Inspectorate America Corporation, an independent analytic testing organization, claimed rights to the LOAMS trademark, registered in the US for computer software related to oil testing services. The disputed domain name, loams.com, had been registered since April 17, 2003, and was used by Netcorp for a parking page featuring loan-related services links, generating pay-per-click revenue. The complainant argued that the domain name was identical to their LOAMS mark and was being used in bad faith for commercial gain.
Netcorp, LLC, countered that they were in the business of using domain names reflecting common misspellings of generic terms, in this case, “loans”. They asserted that this business model was legitimate and unrelated to the complainant’s trademark.
The WIPO Panel found no evidence of bad faith registration or use of the domain name by Netcorp. They concluded that Netcorp was not targeting the complainant’s LOAMS mark but was pursuing a legitimate business model. As a result, the complaint was denied, and the Panel declared that the complaint constituted reverse domain name hijacking, indicating that the complaint was brought in bad faith.
In the domain name dispute case D2017-1930, adjudicated by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, the complainant was Inspectorate America Corporation from Florida, USA. The respondent in this case was Netcorp, LLC, based in California, USA. The dispute centered around the domain name loams.com, registered with PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com. Inspectorate America Corporation, an independent…