It’s a domainer’s worst nightmare: a rich, handsome, aggressive lawyer from Brazil, has filed a UDRP at the WIPO claiming use in bad faith of a generic dot com domain.
Marcello Shavez, known as “Barata” or “Cockroach” in the courts of Rio De Janeiro, started an online barber business two years ago to supplement his lawyer income, as lawyers in Brazil are a dime a dozen.
After registering the domain name ShaveMe.com.br, Marcello Shavez paid 1,000 reals (about $550) to developers, that built a web site where clients can order the Shavez shaving cream and other manly shaving paraphernalia directly from Brazil.
Business of ShaveMe.com.br turned red hot, what with Brazil hosting World Cup Soccer in 2014 and Marcello “Barata“ Shavez decided to acquire the .com, offering $250 plus a free supply of Shavez shaving cream to the owners.
The owners of ShaveMe.com naturally turned the offer down, as the domain was hand-registered in 1996 and to this day it has cost more than that in registration fees alone.
Marcello Shavez, who studied law at the University Club of WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland, states in the UDRP document:
“It is obvious that the .com owners have established bad faith because although we don’t have a trademark for “Shave me” due to the Brazilian government wanting 3500 reals for bribery paid in cash, we need the .com for a legitimate business started in 2010. When the .com owners registered the domain in 1996 they should have known in advance that we will be using the phrase “Shave me” 14 years later, in many countries in Latin America, including Brazil.”
To ensure that the domain lands in his virtual lap, Marcello Shavez has selected a three member WIPO panel, consisting of his uncle Marcellino Shavez, his cousin Reinaldo Shavez and his Italian wife Laura Monetti-Shavez. All three panelists work for the WIPO since January 2012.
We will be watching the case up close.
He should go to the University Club of WIPO and get his money back! what a marooon 😀
Richard – The University Club of WIPO enrollments only open one minute past midnight on March 31st and for 24 hours.