News

• Gucci Reclaims 'guccì.com' Domain in WIPO Case Amid Cybersquatting Allegations

  
  
  
  In a decisive ruling dated 10 April 2025, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ordered the transfer of the domain name <guccì.com> to Italian luxury fashion house Guccio Gucci S.p.A., finding the registration to be a clear case of bad-faith cybersquatting. The disputed domain—registered in 2023 by a U.S.-based respondent—differed from the GUCCI trademark only by a minor typographical variation: an accent on the final letter “i”. Despite this minimal deviation, the domain redirected users to a pay-per-click website displaying unrelated sponsored links, which the panel concluded was a deliberate attempt to exploit consumer confusion for commercial gain. Gucci, which holds longstanding trademark registrations across multiple jurisdictions and operates the primary domain <gucci.com>, had issued a cease-and-desist letter that went unanswered. The WIPO panel affirmed that the domain name bore a high risk of implied affiliation, and that the respondent had neither legitimate interest nor right to the mark. Following chart shows the revenue share of Gucci worldwide in 2024, broken down by product category, illustrating the breadth of the brand’s commercial footprint and reinforcing the strategic imperative behind Gucci’s aggressive trademark defence in digital markets.
  
  

  
  

  24/04/2025

• Zara Prevails in EU Trademark Opposition Against Zahra Drops Over Risk of Consumer Confusion

  
  
  
  In a ruling issued on 17 April 2025, the EUIPO Opposition Division upheld Inditex’s opposition to the figurative EU trademark application filed by Zahra Drops Srl, citing a likelihood of confusion with its iconic ZARA brand. The contested mark—centred on the word 'Zahra' and accompanied by the phrase 'Drops of Nature' — was found to be visually, aurally, and conceptually similar to the earlier ZARA trademark, particularly among English-speaking consumers. Despite differences in typography and additional weakly distinctive elements, the shared core structure and phonetic similarity between 'Zara' and 'Zahra' led the panel to conclude that consumers could erroneously believe the goods and services, which were found to be either identical or closely linked, originated from the same commercial source. Following visualisation shows detailed information on the opposed ‘Zahra DROPS OF NATURE’ trademark, including its applied-for classes in cosmetics and scientific services.
  
  

  
  

  22/04/2025

• Fenix International Prevails in Twin WIPO Cases to Reclaim Domain Names Mimicking ONLYFANS Brand

  
  
  
  In two parallel rulings issued in April 2025, Fenix International Ltd., the operator of the widely known adult content platform ONLYFANS, successfully reclaimed the domain names <onfansonlys.com> and <songheli-onlyfans.com> through WIPO arbitration, reinforcing the platform’s ongoing efforts to combat cybersquatting and brand dilution. Both cases revealed clear instances of bad-faith registration and unauthorised commercial exploitation of the ONLYFANS trademark—protected in the EU, UK, and US. The first domain led to an active site imitating ONLYFANS profiles and offering competing adult content; the second resolved to a similar service before being deactivated. In both instances, the WIPO panels found the domains to be confusingly similar to Fenix’s trademark.
  
  

  
  

  16/04/2025