Jul 6, 2016 10:14 AM PDT    Text size: 

LONDON — CAM4.com, which recently launched virtual reality platform CAM4VR, scored a big win last week when an arbitrator awarded the domain CAM4VR.com to the adult cam company.

CAM4.com, considered one of the pioneers in virtual reality when it comes to camming, was a tad late in attempting to register a domain using a “VR” tag alongside its brand name.    

In January, John Deiz of SBDGroup in Ljubljana, Slovenia, registered the domain CAM4VR.com, and allegedly started offering adult content on the site.

Since its roll out in May, CAM4.com has been offering VR fare through the domain CAM4.com/VR. Its platform offers up to eight shows daily.

After unsuccessful requests to hand over the domain, CAM4.com filed a cybersquatting claim in May with WIPO, which adjudicates such matters, pointing out that it was entitled to the CAM4VR.com domain because it owns a number of trademarks for “CAM4” in the U.S. and E.U.

The arbitrator, Adam Taylor, agreed, ruling that CAM4 has rights in the mark CAM4 by virtue of its registered trademarks as well as unregistered trademark rights deriving from the extensive use of the name and that the respondent didn’t have any rights or legitimate interests over the domain.

Further, the arbitrator ruled, the respondent registered the domain and used it in bad faith.

“The respondent formerly used the disputed domain name for a website offering adult webcam content and which indeed copied the color scheme and layout of the [CAM4’s] site,” the arbitrator said.

“In the panel's view, the respondent has intentionally attempted to attract Internet users to its website for commercial gain by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant's trademark,” the arbitrator said in his ruling ordering the domain be transferred to CAM4.

A CAM4 rep did not respond to XBIZ for comment by post time.