Baker & McKenzie Successfully Represents Inter IKEA Systems B.V. in Domain Name Infringement Case in Vietnam

Baker & McKenzie represented Inter IKEA Systems B.V. (“IKEA”) in a domain name infringement case in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center, which was resolved in favor of IKEA on September 1, 2011.

The case involves the domain name “www.ikeavn.com”, which was registered by a Vietnamese company selling online products, similar to those of IKEA, in an attempt to confuse consumers and seek commercial gain (“Respondent”).

The WIPO ruled in favor of IKEA based on the following:

• The domain name registered by the Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to the IKEA trade mark, which is a protected mark in Vietnam and is internationally well-known; the trademark “has likely been known to the Respondent when registering the disputed domain name”.
• The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name.
• The disputed domain name was registered and used in bad faith with the aim of attracting Internet users to the Respondent’s website by creating a likelihood of confusion with the IKEA trade mark.

A decision was issued and ordered the transfer of the disputed domain name to IKEA.

The Baker & McKenzie team was led by Partner Tran Manh Hung and assisted by senior associate Quach Minh Tri (Hanoi).