Famous trademarks maintain their authority, especially when they have gained incontestability status, such as Rick Schwartz’s “Domain King®” mark.
Nike® is one such famous trademark – although we could argue about how the Greek goddess of victory became a protector of sports shoes.
Regardless, Nike® is a famous, strong brand and the company used that to wrestle away the 20 year old Romanian ccTLD domain, Nike.ro.
According to a UDRP filed at the National Arbitration Forum, the following points were outlined:
Complainant is a prominent United States company engaged in the business of manufacturing and distributing sports shoes, sports apparel, and sports equipment
Complainant has established registered trademark rights in the NIKE mark by virtue of its registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (e.g., Reg. No. 978,952, registered Feb. 19, 1974).
The disputed <nike.ro> domain name was registered on January 1, 1996.
The domain name resolves to an inactive website displaying an error message.
NIKE, Inc. and Nike Innovate C.V. declared an easy victory, particularly since their old, established and famous trademark wasn’t challenged in this UDRP by the Respondent, Sune Stilling of Denmark.
For the full text of this UDRP, click here.
Nike on Google and its famous brand and logo.
