SYA.com has been recovered.
The UDRP process has been used on several occasions to recover stolen domain names.
This appears to be the case for SYA.com, a three letter .com registered in 1996, according to DomainTools.
In a case filed at the National Arbitration Forum, the Complainant, Stanley Yim / Stanley Yim and Associates, Inc., owned and operated the civil engineering firm SYA, Inc., in the state of Hawaii for nearly 40 years.
They registered the domain SYA.com on October 2, 1996 to use in connection with their business.
According to the UDRP, the Respondent, a “Mike Dunaway,” gained control of the domain name through hacking, on May 30, 2015.
There is no indication that the Respondent’s name is real or not. The email address “mdunaway@tutamail.com” is not associated with any other domain names.
The Honorable Charles K. McCotter, Jr. (Ret.), Panelist, thus stated on the case:
Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. […] Respondent is not using the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use. Respondent wrongfully acquired the <sya.com> domain name. See Ezquest, Inc. v. Baorui, FA 1445631 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 3, 2012) (finding that Respondent’s hijacking of Complainant’s domain name and fraudulent transfer to itself does not constitute a bona fide offering of goods or services, or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use under the Policy).
SYA.com was thus ordered to be returned to the Complainant. For the full text of this UDRP decision, click here.
