Lonely Planet Domain Name Returned to Lonely Planet Publications

By Nicole Wellington, Melissa Lessi and Adela Strzalek

On 23 January 2004, Sole Panelist David Williams QC, of the World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center, delivered his decision in Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd v Vladimir Federov, WIPO Case No. D2003-0916.

Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd (complainant), an internationally successful independent travel information company, was the owner of 12 registered trademarks containing the words 'Lonely Planet', in Australia and in a number of other jurisdictions. The Panelist noted the complainant's trademarks had an extensive international reputation.

The complainant argued that the registration of the disputed domain names, 'lonleyplanet.com', 'loneleyplanet.com' and 'lonelyplanet.com' by Vladimir Federov (respondent), was confusingly similar to its registered trademarks, and that the respondent did not have any right or legitimate interest in the disputed domain names. It also argued that