Chinese registrant argued it was in the physical coin base. But maybe not.
Cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase lost a cybersquatting dispute against the domain name coinbase.info. The company filed a complaint with National Arbitration Forum against the Chinese owner of the domain name.
The Respondent in the case said it has been operating as “Coinbase Studio” with a Chinese character since 2012. It also said it’s in a different business — coin trading and appraisal — than the popular cryptocurrency platform.
But Coinbase disputed the domain owner’s intentions. It said that the domain owner does business in the cryptocurrency space and that its alleged business is a scam. The Respondent seemed to admit to not just being a physical coin company when it retorted that it’s in the cryptography and blockchain business, not cryptocurrencies. Hmm.
Panelist Paul DeCicco decided that because the Respondent has a trademark for Coinbase, the complaint failed to show it lacks rights or legitimate interests.
It seems that this case would better be handled in the courts where discovery and cross-examination are possible.