A federal lawsuit has been filed by Wiley Rein, a law firm specializing in intellectual property matters, on behalf of Acme Billing Company of Florida.
The lawsuit is brought against several Defendants, for a total of 14 domain names that have been stolen, and are being monetized by individuals in China; the lawsuit is seeking the return of the domains and damages incurred from lost revenue.
The stolen domains involved in this federal lawsuit are:
- AIJ.com
- FJD.com
- HBU.com
- HIE.com
- IIW.com
- PWP.com
- SJS.com
- XJN.com
- XPE.com
- GY.net
- 4213.com
- 7417.com
- 7204.com
- 8674.com
According to the press release by Wiley Rein:
“The theft of Acme’s domain names disabled many of its e-commerce websites, which offer products such as handbags, watches, and luxury accessories. This type of cyber crime is happening with greater frequency to website operatorsacross the country. Small- and medium-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable, and many are not aware that there is legal recourse.”
The lawsuit alleges that Acme went to great lengths to provide its domain name registrar, GoDaddy, with documentation showing that Acme’s account had been hacked and that Acme was the rightful owner of the stolen domain names. But GoDaddy has indicated that there is nothing further it can do to obtain the return of the domain names.
It is the first time – that the law firm is aware of – in which the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is being used to attempt to regain possession of stolen domain names; it is believed that the decision in this case could set an important precedent in the field. The lawsuit also includes claims under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.
The stolen domain names were moved away from GoDaddy and primarily to the Chinese domain registrar, Ename. The latter appears to be the registrar of choice for several domain thefts perpetrated by Chinese cyberthieves that we have covered.
For the full press release, click here.
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