{"id":8444,"date":"2021-09-14T06:31:03","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T06:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/?p=8444"},"modified":"2021-09-14T06:32:36","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T06:32:36","slug":"analysis-of-cybersquatting-in-trademark-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/analysis-of-cybersquatting-in-trademark-act\/","title":{"rendered":"A Complete Analysis of Cybersquatting in Trademark Act"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Today the use of the internet has become an essential part of our life, and it has transformed it into a strong platform for companies to encourage, advertise and sell goods &amp; services. Unluckily, Cybersquatting, which is the outcome of misleading and unauthorised conduct, has risen as well. Due to this intellectual property like <a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/trademark-registration\" class=\"text-primary\"><strong>Trademark Registration<\/strong><\/a> is a significant process for protecting from Cybersquatting. In this blog will discuss the meaning of Cybersquatting in Trademark Act and how Cybersquatting interferes with a brand identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a55ab5329a05\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a55ab5329a05\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/analysis-of-cybersquatting-in-trademark-act\/#What_is_Cybersquatting\" title=\"What is\nCybersquatting?\">What is\nCybersquatting?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/analysis-of-cybersquatting-in-trademark-act\/#New_target_for_a_Cyber_Squatter_to_Spoil_the_Brand_%E2%80%93_Cybersquatting_in_Trademark_Act\" title=\"New target for\na Cyber Squatter to Spoil the Brand \u2013 Cybersquatting in Trademark Act\">New target for\na Cyber Squatter to Spoil the Brand \u2013 Cybersquatting in Trademark Act<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/analysis-of-cybersquatting-in-trademark-act\/#What_are_the_Remedies_for_Cybersquatting_in_Trademark_Act_or_Law\" title=\"What are the\nRemedies for Cybersquatting in Trademark Act or Law?\">What are the\nRemedies for Cybersquatting in Trademark Act or Law?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/analysis-of-cybersquatting-in-trademark-act\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Cybersquatting\"><\/span>What is\nCybersquatting?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we discuss the impact of Cybersquatting in Trademark Act, it is necessary to know the meaning of Cybersquatting. Cybersquatting is also known as <strong><em>Domain Name Squatting<\/em><\/strong>; it is the act of trafficking in, registering, or using a name of domain with the bad faith intention of profiting from the goodwill of someone&#8217;s Trademark. The cyber squatter then tries to sell the domain to the company or individual that owns the Trademark inserted within the name at an overstated price. The word &#8220;squatting&#8221; comes from the act of occupying an abandoned\/unoccupied space or building that the squatter doesn&#8217;t rent, own, or have consent to use. On the other side, <strong>Cybersquatting<\/strong><sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cybersquatting\" class=\"text-primary\"><strong>[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/sup> is different in that the domain names that are being \u201csquatted\u201d are (sometimes but not always) paid by the cyber squatters at the time of the registration process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cyber\nsquatters usually demand much higher rates than the ones they paid for it. Some\ncyber squatters make insulting remarks about the business or individual the\ndomain is supposed to serve to convince the subject to purchase the domain name\nfrom them. Others monetise their squatting process by posting paid links to the\noriginal site that the user likely wanted via advertisement networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\nare various types of Cybersquatting that come under the immense category of\nCybersquatting. Classic Cybersquatting, Pseudo, Cyberpiracy, and Typosquatting\nare examples of these variations. <strong><em>Classical Cybersquatting <\/em><\/strong>is the\nsimple and easy registration of a Domain Name based on a Trademark with the\nintent of selling it to the legal owner of the Trademark for a profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trademarks use in domain names with the goal of attracting more traffic to the list of similar web pages recognised by a name is referred to as <strong><em>\u201cCyberpiracy\u201d. <\/em><\/strong>At the same time, <strong><em>Pseudo Cybersquatting <\/em><\/strong>is explained as the Domain Name Registration without actually using it or associating it to any online websites\/web pages. There are also known as <strong><em>\u201cBlocking Registrations\u201d, <\/em><\/strong>and they intend to avoid legitimate correct holders from using domain names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"New_target_for_a_Cyber_Squatter_to_Spoil_the_Brand_%E2%80%93_Cybersquatting_in_Trademark_Act\"><\/span>New target for\na Cyber Squatter to Spoil the Brand \u2013 Cybersquatting in Trademark Act<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Social\nMedia is the new target for Cyber squatter to defame the brand. With the\nimportance of Social Media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook,\na new way of Cybersquatting has increased, which trademarked brands or\ndignitaries&#8217; names, or public figures are registered on famous Social Media\nwebsites. Because of the social media platforms&#8217; popularity, businesses have\nbuilt profiles on these sites in order to gain more clients. To develop robust\ngoodwill &amp; credibility for their signs, social media websites have begun\nproviding verification tags to relevant organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For\nexample, there was a case when <strong><em>Tony La Russa\u2019s Lawsuit<\/em><\/strong> against\nTwitter was willingly dismissed; his case showed the threats of these websites\u2019\nnew username features. The manager of Tony La Russa, St. Louis Cardinal, had\nfiled a Cybersquatting complaint against Twitter. The issue was that a Twitter\naccount including La Russa\u2019s name had posted a photo of LA Russa with the\ncaption <strong><em>\u201cHey there! &nbsp;Tony La Russa is now\nusing a Twitter Account<\/em><\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This\nprofile encouraged Twitter users to follow the profile of La Russa to stay\nupdated on his activities. The notifications were defamatory &amp; hateful, as\nper LA Russa. He was informed that the maker of the profile had done so in bad\nfaith and profited from the Trademark of LA Russa. After the parties had\nresolved the problem, La Russa filed a voluntary dismissal. The use of\nunpleasant tags and the usernames\u2019 reservation are chiefly harmful to the\nowners of the Trademark. Facebook agrees that violation username can be a huge\ndeal, mainly if someone else is attempting to create a reputation using a\nTrademark that the correct owner of a Trademark has spent a lot of time developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cybersquatting via username violation prevents the owner of Trademark from using the well-known username, preventing him from using his Trademark on social media. Username reservation by bad faith may also spoil &amp; damage the credibility of the mark. The owner of Trademark loses leverage of his Trademark credibility when someone maintains a username with hostile intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_Remedies_for_Cybersquatting_in_Trademark_Act_or_Law\"><\/span>What are the\nRemedies for Cybersquatting in Trademark Act or Law?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At present, there is no law in India that addresses Cybersquatting crimes. To avoid possible Cybersquatting crimes, we need strict laws that provide penalties for Cyber squatters. On the other side, victims should take the following remedies for Cybersquatting in Trademark Act or Law:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>The victim can Bring\nArbitration Proceedings Under the ICANN<\/em><\/strong>: The\nvictim has the following options against Cyber Squatters:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Filing a case against multiple\ncourts in India;<\/li><li>Can send a <strong><em>C&amp;D (Cease &amp; Desist)<\/em><\/strong>\nnotice to the cyber squatter. The victim can obtain a passing-off order against\nthe cyber squatter.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>UDRP (Uniform Dispute\nResolution Policy)<\/em><\/strong>: The UDRP was first introduced\nby the <strong><em>ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names &amp; Numbers), <\/em><\/strong>and\nit is a part of the Registration Agreement you digitally agree to when you buy\na domain from a website like GoDaddy, BigRock, or others. To start a proceeding\nunder the UDRP, the owner of Trademark must pick one of the authorised service\nproviders. For example, <strong><em>CIIFRC (Canadian International Interest\nDispute Resolution Centre), ADNDRC (Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution\nCentre), WIPO, etc.<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>According to Para 4(a) of the UDRP, a complainant must prove all three elements below:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Domain name similar or\nconfusingly similar to a Trademark or Service Mark in which the complainant has\nright;<\/li><li>The violator has no right or\nlegitimate in respect of the domain name;<\/li><li>The name of the domain has been\nregistered and is being used in bad faith. The following conditions, but not\nlimited to, if considered by the panel to be present, shall be proof of the\nregistration &amp; usage of a domain name in bad faith for the purposes of\nParagraph 4(a)(iii):<\/li><li>Conditions stating that domain\nname is registered exclusively for the objective of renting, selling, or\notherwise transferring the registration of domain name to the complainant, who\nis the Trademark owner or Service Mark owner;<\/li><li>The domain name is register to\nprevent the Service Mark or Trademark owner from showing the mark in an\nequivalent domain name, provided that the violator has been involved in a\npattern of such conduct;<\/li><li>The violator or infringer has\nregistered the domain name primarily to break off a business competitor;<\/li><li>By using the domain name, the\nviolator has intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, internet\nusers to his site or other online location, by creating confusion with the mark\nof the complainant as to the source, affiliation, sponsorship, or via the\nendorsement of his site.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><em>.In Domain Name Dispute\nResolution Policy (INDRP)<\/em><\/strong>: INDRP, which is considered\nidentical to the UDRP, would be applicable to \u201c.in\u201d domain names. As per the\npolicy of INDRP, someone who believes a domain name registered by the .IN\nRegistry violates on their statutory rights or interests can file a complaint\nwith the .IN Registry and pay the fees. The complainant should fulfil the\nrequirements as described in <strong><em>Para 4(a) of the UDRP Policy and paragraph 4\nof the INDRP.<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After understanding the meaning of Cybersquatting in the Trademark Act, it is clear that Cybersquatting has a cascading impact on society&#8217;s social and economic interest, so it should be prosecuted to offer a deterrent effect. Governments worldwide are looking at Cybersquatting as a severe problem. To fight Cybersquatting, various countries around the world have implemented a variety of initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-left\"><b>Read our article<\/b>:<mark style=\"background: #fffd03 !important;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/trademark-infringement-cases-in-india\/\">What are the Well-Known Trademark Infringement Cases in India?\n<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today the use of the internet has become an essential part of our life, and it has transformed it into a strong platform for companies to encourage, advertise and sell goods &amp; services. Unluckily, Cybersquatting, which is the outcome of misleading and unauthorised conduct, has risen as well. Due to this intellectual property like Trademark [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[72],"tags":[849],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8444"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8464,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8444\/revisions\/8464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}