INDRP Complaints re Lego.co.in and Accor.co.in

[Ceres]

The well-known Lego company was awarded the domain Lego.co.in (see decision here). It owns LEGO trademarks worldwide including in India.

The respondent, who registered the domain in 2009, did not file an official response to the INDRP complaint but he did respond to Lego's cease and desist letter:

" we are very sorry to offend your client, but we just think the domain might be valuable when we register it. we would make some concession as our regrets, please to convey the means. I hope we can find one win-win solution friendly and benefit for both of us."

The Arbitrator's finding was that the respondent had registered and used the domain name in bad faith.

If you want to see how many domains Lego has won in the past, check out this link.

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The other decision relates to the hotel group Accor, which won the domain Accor.co.in (see decision here). Accor owns hotels worldwide and offers a variety of hospitality services. Accor has a presence in India.

Like the other case mentioned above, the respondent did not file a response to the INDRP complaint, but did respond to cease and desist notices:

the Respondent has failed to demonstrate any rights or legitimate interests in the Domain Name. Moreover, the Respondent has demanded excessive monetary compensation from the Complainant for transfer of the Domain Name. In this regard, the Respondent's first demand was for €12,000. Failing this, the Respondent demanded US$ 4,500 from the Complainant. From the aforesaid circumstances, the Arbitrator finds that the Respondent has registered the Domain Name primarily for selling the Domain Name to the Complainant, who is the actual owner of the mark ACCOR.

The domain Accor.co.in was registered in August 2008. It was parked and contained hotel-related links.

IMHO, the above decisions were predictable. Lego.co.in is not a random LLLL domain or a generic word; it's a well-known trademark. As for Accor, I don't know if this is also a surname. If it is, I doubt it's a popular surname in India. What do you think of these decisions?