Victoria's Secret undresses a cybersquatter

Florida resident Chris Williams must have thought he was really on to something when he registered victoriassecretangelcreditcard.com. As with most cybersquatting, he used the domain name to setup a website with third-party links, some of which linked to competitors of the popular lingerie company. He did not respond to the complaint filed with the WIPO.

Victoria’s Secret Stores Brand Management, Inc. owns the trademark Victoria’s Secret, which markets their brands of women’s lingerie and other apparel. They also have numerous stores with the same brand name. On their website, they offer a store credit card called Angel Card, which Williams undoubtedly knew when he add the combination “angelcreditcard” to the end of the trademark.

As with all cases reviewed by the WIPO, the complainant has to satisfy three elements in order to win a dispute: 1. that the domain is confusingly similar to their trademark, 2. that the respondent has no legitimate rights or interests to the domain name, and 3. that the domain was registered in bad faith. Williams did not respond to the charges or defend his actions. Therefore, the WIPO used what evidence there was to rule that the domain must be transferred.

Source: UDRPsearch
Photo: Flickr

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