Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp sue domain name reseller for cybersquatting
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania, USA against domain name reseller New Ventures Services Corp (NVSC) for alleged cybersquatting (the practice of registering, selling, or using domain names while abusing someone else’s trademarks). The three plaintiffs argue that NVSC holds at least 74 domain names (such as httpinstagram.com, faceebbok.com, facebooc.net, instagram-login.com, and installwhatsapps.com) that infringe Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp trademarks. They ask the court to issue a permanent injunction restraining NVSC from (a) registering, trafficking in, or using, with a bad faith intent to profit, any domain name that is identical of confusingly similar to Facebook’s, Instagram’s, and WhatsApp’s trademarks, and (b) engaging in any use of such trademarks in connection with any domain name that is likely to cause confusion. The three companies also argue that the court should issue an order asking NVSC to transfer the infringing domain names to them. In addition, they claim US$100 000 damages per infringing domain.