Wal-Mart wins domain dispute

Big box retailer Wal-Mart won two domains in a recent arbitration dispute: peapleofwalmart.com and walmart-winners.com. The corporation claims the names were used in bad faith “to raise advertising revenue through the use of sponsored links.”

This case is interesting because the owner of peapleofwalmart.com probably didn’t mean to profit from Wal-Mart. The name is a typo of peopleofwalmart.com, a popular third-party website that pokes fun at the store and its shopper. If anything, the name belongs to People of Walmart.

The problem with the WIPO arbitration panel is it often does a poor job of investigating cases. Rather than take the time to look into a matter, they are often quick to announce “case closed” as soon as one party mentions trademark infringement.

Photo | Flickr