Panel acknowledges the inherent value and legitimate interest in ownership of short domain names.
Short domain names are valuable, in-demand and tradeable assets. Because of this, lots of companies try to get their hands on them through UDRP rather than paying fair market value.
That’s the case in a recent attempt by Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc to get the domain name AATI.com.
The company bid in an expired domain auction on NameJet to get the domain but lost when it sold for $2,510 in October 2016.
The next month, it filed a UDRP against the auction winner, Myles Hare of URL Enterprises Ltd. Hare bought the domain name due to the value of four letter domain names.
Advanced Analytical Technologies struck out, failing to prove any of the three elements necessary to win a UDRP. It even provided some rope to hang itself when it argued, “To the Respondent this is a non-descript four letter URL…”
The panel wrote:
Respondent is a domain reseller who had acquired a valuable non-distinctive four-letter domain name at auction. Four-letter domains acquired by domain resellers have been considered as inherently having value because of their appeal as being simplistic and therefore rights and legitimate interests may exist merely by virtue of acquiring them.
This is a nice case to point to in future UDRPs, as compared to sihi.com.
The panel did not consider reverse domain name hijacking. The respondent was represented by John Berryhill.
AATI-UDRP by DomainNameWire on Scribd
Mike says
That is a good UDRP decision and hopefully may be listened to by some Panelists but I guess some will ignore it and go with one of the other unfair decisions.
Steve says
Well at least they got it half right. Should have been an obvious rdnh.
Advanced Analytical Technologies = cockroaches.
WQ says
They could have won the auction for a few hundred more most likely. A little more research could have paid off or by hiring a domain consultant of some sort.
Meyer says
Was it a typo (cut and paste error) under ” Registration and use in Bad Faith “. Fifth paragraph?
“Respondent never offered to sell the ” ssx,com ” domain name to the complainant.”
Stated twice in the paragraph.
The decision was posted on Jan 1st. Maybe, they were still hungover?
Andrew Allemann says
I believe that is quoting the previous case for ssx.com.
Meyer says
I see it now. I was confused by the new paragraph.