Union Bank has lost three domain name arbitration cases involving an upset former customer.
The bank filed three separate actions covering UnionBank.me, unionbancal.co, unionbank.cc, union-bank.co, mufgunionbankna.com, unionbancalcorp.com, unionbancal.net, unionbancal.org, unionbankna.com and unionbanks.net.
Often times, a panel will not allow a gripe site that creates initial confusion. In this case, the domains don’t include “sucks” or another modifier, so someone who went to the domains might initially assume they are owned by Union Bank.
Full Article: http://domainnamewire.com/2014/12/18/union-bank-loses-cases-against-gripe-websites/However, when both the complainant and respondent are in the U.S., WIPO panels typically state that the possibility of initial interest confusion does not automatically negate the Respondent’s rights or legitimate interests in a name. This is due to the U.S.’s strong protection of non-commercial free speech.
