Case Number: D2024-0698
Complainant: Rocketship AB
Represented by: AWA Sweden AB
Rocketship AB of Sweden has been found guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking in connection with their attempt to take the domain rocketship.com via the UDRP process. In making their case, they invoked an obscure trademark law from Sweden which they claimed entitled them to rights in the “rocketship” mark. However, the present owner of rocketship.com is also its original owner, Gerald Gorman, who first purchased the domain in 1996, long before Rocketship AB existed.
A three member panel at the World Intellectual Property Organization found Rocketship AB guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking on May 23, 2024.
The issue of trademark rights, using an esoteric common-law trademark from Sweden, was an issue addressed by one of the panelists, Jeffrey Neuman, who wrote a concurring opinion. The other two panelists, Stephanie G. Hartung and Petter Rindforth, were satisfied with Rocketship AB’s trademark rights, which they said imbued Rocketship AB with the necessary standing to bring the case.
However, the trademark issue ultimately was not a deciding factor in the case.
Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/pdf/2024/d2024-0698.pdf