Take-Two Reminds Us of the Value of UDRP Actions Against Domain Name Squatters

SUMMARY

Take-Two wins an undisputed UDRP arbitration to recover a domain name from a squatter in just a couple of months.

THE DISPUTE

On October 29, 2019, a squatter from Vietnam registered the domain “rockstargames.site” and used it to host a website impersonating Take-Two’s subsidiary, Rockstar Games. The complaint alleged that the squatter “provided links to redirect visitors to order pages on third party websites for consumers to purchase for RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2,” a game developed by Rockstar.

On March 23, 2020, Take-Two filed a complaint with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center against the squatter.

On April 2, 2020, after Take-Two had notified the squatter of the action, the arbitration commenced. The respondent (as often happens in these actions) failed to respond to the complaint.

On May 11, 2020 — less than two months after Take-Two filed its complaint — the panel ruled that the respondent had used the “rockstargames.site” domain name in bad faith and ordered the domain name be transferred to Take-Two.

TAKEAWAY

UDRP actions can be an expedient, cost-effective way to deal with cyber-squatters.

Citation: TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. v. GMO-Z.COM RUNSYSTEM JSC/QUANG VINH CHAU, 2020 WL 2522006 (Case No. D2020-0695)