NFL team failed to convince panel that domain investor registered and used the domain in bad faith.
The NFL’s L.A. Rams team has lost a cybersquatting case it filed with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) against the domain name rams.com.
Domain name investor Frank Mardian, also known as “Maple Dots,” acquired the domain for CAN 50,000 in November 2022.
According to the response, a Turkish agency that represented a large company called Rams offered to acquire the domain early this year for $2 million. After receiving that offer, Mardian had a broker reach out to the NFL team, offering to sell the domain name for $3.5 million.
The three-member WIPO panel affirmed (pdf) that people have a right to invest in generic, dictionary, and short domain names, writing, “RAMS, however, as set out in section 5C above, has both an ordinary dictionary meaning by itself and is used by many different businesses and even as an acronym for a number of different things or activities.”
It also noted that it made sense to contact the football team after receiving this offer:
Given the Respondent had received what (so far as the Panel can tell on the papers) was a genuine offer for the disputed domain name in the sum of USD 2 million, the Respondent’s conduct in seeking to generate a bidding war over the rights to the disputed domain name of the short, dictionary word with multiple possible uses at issue here cannot be characterised as use in bad faith under the Policy.
The Rams will be stuck using TheRams.com.
The football team was internally represented, and John Berryhill represented the domain name owner.
I suspect the price of Rams•com just went up. Good for the Domain Investor. Great work from Berryhill ESQ.
Can say the same thing about the guy who own Lambo.com. Lamborghini just took it from the guy. Judge rule that the guy acted in bad faith
“The domain name was successfully defended by attorney John Berryhill.”
If theRams.com had hired John Berryhill, then maybe they will get the Rams.com?
Thank you for the coverage Andrew, there are a number of places where this is getting published, X etc so I have a topic on dn.ca where everything is being discussed.
https://dn.ca/topic/7353/
Some one needs to help out the guy that own Lambo.com. Lamborghini stole it from the guy. judge rule that he acted in bad faith.
Very different set of circumstances. Not a generic or dictionary term
I’m sure that the Rams football team could’ve acquired rams.com for a lot less if they had tried in good faith years ago.
Good decision. Congrats to Frank and John Berryhill for the success.
The price must go up now.
After the Lambo case – great to hear! Congratulations to Frank (always a gentelman) and J Berryhill (top job!!). Now we can enter the weekend with a sence of justice. Great news! Happy weekend all! H
Looks like TheRams.com may need a new domain name
https://dn.ca/topic/7396/
This story absolutely made my day. Love it! The Los Angeles Rams’ annual revenue is estimated around $875 million — so my advise to the Rams, make the right offer to the seller, then go open your escrow.com account. Congrats to Frank Mardian and John Berryhill.