GENEVA — A World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) panel has issued a decision ruling against a Russia-based website operator accused of infringing on intellectual property belonging to clip site Clips4Sale.
Clips4Sale’s attorney, Corey D. Silverstein of Silverstein Legal, filed a WIPO complaint in January against Andrey Leonov, a webmaster based in the Russian Federation, who registered the domain Clips-4-Sale.com last June.
The complaint alleged that Leonov was utilizing the domain to unlawfully offer competitive services that directly infringed on Clips4Sale’s intellectual property.
The WIPO’s decision awarded the infringing domain to Clips4Sale, finding that “it was duly demonstrated that Respondent was aware of Complainant’s rights to the trademarks Clips4Sale and Clips4Sal.com at the time of the registration — as the evidence to the Complaint contains proof that the disputed domain name resolved to a website exposing content similar to Complainant’s website and including the trademark Clips4Sale aiming to divert internet users.”
The panel also held that the similar-sounding URL “exposes the likelihood of Respondent’s knowledge of Complainant’s trademark and a clear intent to take a free ride on Complainant’s renown.”
“We are very pleased with the panel’s decision,” Silverstein told XBIZ. “Clips4Sale will not hesitate to protect its intellectual property rights regardless of the location of any infringer. In this case, Andrey Leonov’s infringement was outright repugnant and the infringing domain was rightfully ordered transferred to Clips4Sale.
“Should Mr. Leonov or any other infringer engage in similar unlawful conduct, Clips4Sale will continue to exercise all of its legal options,” the attorney added.