Belmond Management wins domain name dispute over belmondhotelbali.com
A WIPO panel has ordered the transfer of the domain name <belmondhotelbali.com> to Belmond Management Limited, a UK company that owns and operates hotels around the world. The domain name was registered by a UK individual who did not respond to the complaint.
The panel found that the domain name was confusingly similar to the complainant’s trademark BELMOND, which it had registered in various countries since 1986. The panel also found that the respondent had no rights or legitimate interests in the domain name, as he was not authorized by the complainant, nor commonly known by the domain name, nor using it for a bona fide purpose. On the contrary, the panel found that the respondent was using the domain name for illegal activity, namely fraud, which constituted bad faith
The panel therefore ordered that the domain name be transferred to the complainant, in accordance with the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. The panel noted that the complainant and its Belmond trademark are known internationally and have been used since 2014, well before the registration of the domain name. The panel also noted that the respondent had ignored the complainant’s cease and desist letters and had provided a false address in the registration details
Belmond Ltd was formerly known as Orient-Express Hotels Ltd and currently owned by LVMH – You can read the full WIPO case here – WIPO Case No. D2023-3318
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