A Resolution Institute auDRP panel has found the City of Parramatta guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking in a decision handed down today.
The Council had filed an auDRP Proceeding in the hope of securing a valuable place name domain parramatta.com.au without having to buy it from the owner.
In its findings the Panel said:
The Panel is ordinarily loathe to make findings of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking where a complaint is brought in good faith based on a reasonably arguable view of how the Policy applies to the relevant facts. However, as noted above, the Complaint includes baseless allegations and submissions not grounded in the evidence put before the Panel. The Complainant also did not draw to the Panel’s attention that its applications for trademarks comprising the single word PARRAMATTA are the subject of adverse Examiner’s reports that it has so far been unable to overcome.
The decision serves as a warning to parties seeking to take a domain name by misusing the auDRP which was set up to provide a mechanism to combat cybersquatting not to secure domain names without paying for them.
Another one bites the dust. Appalling behaviour by the City of Parramatta. The finding of reverse domain name hijacking means the respondent can now sue the complaint for damages if desired.