Designer Louis Vuitton has lost a UDRP case for the domain LV.com.
In what can only be described as a case of reverse domain hijacking, French fashion designer Louis Vuitton has lost a UDRP case for LV.com.
Louis Vuitton was clearly overstepping its bounds, trying to gain rights to a generic domain name registered over 10 years ago in 1995 by Manifest Information Services. The designer claimed to have rights to the trademark “LV”.
Manifest Information Services once used the site as a portal for businesses in Las Vegas. The site currently has a parking page that does not include any advertising links.
In an effort to squash the UDRP attempt by Louis Vuitton, Manifest filed suit in the United States District Court in New York. But it won’t need a decision by that court because the panel found in Manifest’s favor.
Among the arbitration panel’s findings:
-The actual complainent in the case, Louis Vuitton Malletier S.A., was not the holder of the trademarks; Louis Vuitton Malletier Corporation France is the actual holder of the trademarks.
-Manifest used the domain name for a bona fide offering of services.
-Manifest registered the name in 1995 when it did not know about the Louis Vuitton trademarks
-Manifest has legitimate rights in the domain and did not register it in bad faith.
Christina Doucet says
The National Arbitration Forum was the ICANN administrator in this domain dispute over LV.com. Specific case information and panelist decisions can be found at: http://domains.adrforum.com/domains/decisions/796276.htm .