MediaMonks takes aim at Monks.agency in cross-border branding clash

Posted by DomainGang on December 4, 2025, at 12:06 pm

MediaMonks Multimedia Holding B.V. went after the domain Monks.agency, arguing that the domain is identical to its MONKS mark, that “.agency” amplifies confusion given its global creative/marketing business, and that the site’s earlier tagline — “WE ARE NOT MONKS. Something Like Monks, But on Steroids” — was a cheeky but deliberate reference to its rebranded […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, Monks.agency, UDRP, WIPO, deny transfer, trademarks, we are monks

HaitiChildren.com UDRP: Is it a generic domain name?

Posted by DomainGang on December 2, 2025, at 8:21 am

HaitiChildren, a Colorado non-profit caring for abandoned and disabled children in Haiti, brought a UDRP against Doms Most / MostDomCorps over HaitiChildren.com. The charity showed long and continuous use of the HAITICHILDREN name since at least 2015, plus ownership of haitichildren.org since 2004, and explained that it had previously operated on haitichildren.com for about 20 […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, Haiti children, HaitiChildren.com, UDRP, haitichildren.org, trademarks

Toptal.ai UDRP: Transfer ordered after blatant impersonation and passing-off

Posted by DomainGang on November 22, 2025, at 9:01 am

A UDRP was filed against toptal.ai by Toptal, LLC, the long-established freelance-talent platform operating under its TOPTAL mark since 2010. The Respondent, based in Armenia, registered the domain in 2024 and used it for a site that mimicked Toptal’s branding, copied its service descriptions, displayed “All Rights Reserved Toptal,” and presented itself as offering the […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, UDRP, grant transfer, passing off, toptal, toptal.ai, trademarks

Playhop.io: Yandex subsidiary wins UDRP after bad-faith finding

Posted by DomainGang on November 12, 2025, at 10:31 am

A UDRP was filed against Playhop.io by Y. E. Hub Armenia LLC, a subsidiary of Russia’s Yandex NV. The Complainant operates the official Playhop.com platform and holds an international trademark for PLAYHOP registered in 2022 across multiple jurisdictions, including Viet Nam where the Respondent is located. The Respondent argued that playhop is a generic combination […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, PLAYHOP, Playhop.io, UDRP, WIPO, grant transfer, trademarks, yandex

NanoBananaAI.com: Google loses UDRP over weak common-law claim

Posted by DomainGang on October 29, 2025, at 9:01 am

Google LLC went after NanoBananaAi.com in a Forum UDRP case against Respondent Ping Lin, claiming common-law rights in NANO BANANA tied to its new AI image tool. Google’s UDRP claim leaned on a LMArena release (Aug 12, 2025), social chatter, and a Business Insider piece plus allegations that the domain had redirected to a competing […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, Google LLC, NanoBananaAi.com, UDRP, nano banana, trademarks

Durex.me UDRP: Condom squatter tried to shaft trademark holder

Posted by DomainGang on October 24, 2025, at 4:50 pm

LRC Products (aka the DUREX people: durability, reliability, and excellence since the 1930’s) found someone in the UAE trying to slip one past them and filed a UDRP. The Respondent registered Durex.me, threw up a “Launching Soon” page using the DUREX logo, and then, after a C&D notice, declared the domain was for sale. Asking […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, Durex, Durex.me, UDRP, WIPO, grant transfer, trademarks

Zynaus.com impersonates ZYN brand, Respondent “rebrands” to another infringing domain!

Posted by DomainGang on October 21, 2025, at 1:30 pm

Swedish Match North Europe AB and Philip Morris International filed a UDRP against Australian registrant Courtney Turner over the domain ZynAus.com, which falsely claimed to be the official Australian distributor of ZYN nicotine pouches. The website displayed the ZYN mark and product images without authorization, promoted social accounts under the ZYN name, and even sold […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, Match North Europe AB, UDRP, WIPO, ZYN, ZynAu.com, ZynAus.com, grant transfer, trademarks

WhatsApp.ai: Trademark violation leads to UDRP that leads to domain’s loss

Posted by DomainGang on October 20, 2025, at 10:10 am

WhatsApp LLC filed a UDRP against Noam Cohen of Israel over WhatsApp.ai, arguing that the domain’s use for an AI-related app directory and later a LANTA LABS site was an attempt to legitimize bad-faith registration. Cohen claimed the domain was meant for a noncommercial editorial project titled “What’s App (AI)?” — a play on the […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, Noam Cohen, UDRP, WIPO, WhatsApp, grant transfer, trademarks

UDRP Transfer: TeddySofas.com imitated OMHU’s Teddy line of sofas

Posted by DomainGang on October 15, 2025, at 10:40 am

OMHU CPH A/S, a Danish furniture company known for its TEDDY sofa collection, filed a UDRP against Shen Ling Mao of China over the domain teddysofas.com. OMHU demonstrated both registered and unregistered trademark rights in TEDDY, supported by evidence of extensive promotion on omhucph.com, teddysofa.dk, and social media since 2022. The domain, registered in August […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with OMHU CPH A/S, Shen Ling Mao, Teddy Sofas, Teddy sofa, TeddySofas.com, UDRP, WIPO, grant transfer, trademarks, 卯申令

Playboy wins PlayboyStory.com after lapse and Respondent’s pirated content use

Posted by DomainGang on October 14, 2025, at 1:45 pm

Playboy Enterprises International, Inc. filed a UDRP to recover PlayboyStory.com, a domain it once owned but allowed to lapse in 2022. The new registrant, identifying as “Crack Misoft” of California, used the domain for a site posing as “Playboy Inc.” and offering access to “every issue ever made”, effectively hosting or linking to unauthorized digital […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, Playboy, PlayboyStory.com, UDRP, grant transfer, trademarks

Photocircle.com: UDRP failed; Respondent’s domain registration predates startup’s rights

Posted by DomainGang on August 27, 2025, at 10:26 am

PhotoCircle, Inc., which offers photo sharing software and holds a 2024 US trademark for PHOTOCIRCLE, filed a UDRP complaint over the aged domain PhotoCircle.com. The domain was originally registered in 2001 and has been largely inactive. PhotoCircle argued that the Respondent acquired the name in 2021, after the company had gained recognition since 2012, and […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Domains, PhotoCircle, PhotoCircle.com, UDRP, WIPO, trademarks

MontanaDakota.com: Dispute centered on historic utility brand

Posted by DomainGang on August 26, 2025, at 12:40 pm

MDU Resources, a North Dakota-based utility founded in 1924, contested the registration of MontanaDakota.com by a Vietnamese registrant. The company operates under montana-dakota.com for its Montana-Dakota Utilities subsidiary, serving more than a million customers in the region. The panel noted that “Montana Dakota” had acquired unregistered trademark rights through decades of continuous use. The disputed […]

Filed under Domain Law · Tagged with Montana Dakota, MontanaDakota.com, UDRP, WIPO, grant transfer, trademarks