Reseller's Right to Use Supplier's Mark in a Domain Name

Domain name conflicts often arise over whether a reseller can have a legitimate interest in a URL including a supplier's trademark. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization's "Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions," a reseller can be making a bona fide offering of goods and services, and thus have a legitimate interest in the domain name if the use fits certain requirements, including

• the use of the site to actually sell only the supplier's goods
• the site accurately disclosing the registrant’s relationship with the trademark owner,
• the respondent not trying to corner the market in domain names that reflect the trademark.

For example, see Oki Data Americas, Inc. v. ASD, Inc. D2001-0903 and (transfer denied); Experian Information Solutions, Inc. v. Credit Research, Inc. D2002-0095 (transfer ordered); DaimlerChrysler A.G. v. Donald Drummonds D2001-0160 (transfer denied with dissent); Philip Morris Incorporated v. Alex Tsypkin D2002-0946 (transfer); and Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG v. Del Fabbro Laurent D2004-0481 (transfer denied). Cf. Motorola, Inc. v. NewGate Internet, Inc. D2000-0079 (transfer with dissenting 0pinion involving adult content).