On July 19, 2011 a single-member Panel of the National Arbitration Forum ruled that the manofsteel.com domain name be transferred from its current owner to DC Comics who had filed a domain dispute in late June.
The panelist, James A. Carmody, Esq., said that manofsteel.com is identical to DC Comics’ trademarks — “MAN OF STEEL” (registered in 1999) and THE MAN OF STEEL (registered in 1987). The panelist also found that because the domain name resolved to a website which displayed links and advertisements, that the respondent’s use of the domain name was neither a bona fide offering of goods or services, nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use. The panelist also found that registration and use of manofsteel.com demonstrated bad faith.
The respondent in the dispute, Coni c/o LBR Enterprises, failed to submit a response.
Warner Bros and DC Comics are set to release “Man of Steel” in December 2012.
TheManofSteel.com, which is not owned by Warner Bros or DC Comics, is up for sale at Sedo for $300 by its current owner.
The full decision can be read here.
Discussion: BleedingCool.com, SuperHeroHype, Comic Book Resources, and BuyDomains
4 replies on “DC Comics wins dispute over ManofSteel.com domain name”
[…] Updated July 20, 2011: Turns out the complainant in the case was DC Comics, not Warner Bros. A single-member panel has ruled in favor of DC Comics and ordered the domain name to be transferred. Details here. […]
[…] reports that a panelist for the National Arbitration Forum agreed with DC’s argument that the domain […]
[…] cite an example: DC Comics, creators of the Superman series recently filed a domain dispute against the party who had registered and owned the domain […]
When did the holder of manofsteel.com purchase the rights to the domain? This seems suspicious.