Area proprietor sues after authorized menace – Area Title Wire

SiteTools information lawsuit after potential area purchaser threatens authorized motion.

Many attorneys throw round authorized threats to get domains for his or her purchasers. They’d higher ensure they’re on stable authorized floor and are keen to take the case to courtroom. Right here’s an instance of why.

SiteTools, Inc. has filed federal lawsuit (pdf) in opposition to personal fairness group Bansk Group LLC after the latter threatened SiteTools over its bansk.com area identify.

The plaintiff registered the area in 2013. It says it registered it as a typo of banks.com, and it has forwarded it to monetary websites.

Bansk Group wasn’t shaped till 2019. With bansk.com already registered, it settled for BanskGroup.com as a website identify.

A consultant of the corporate reached out to SiteTools about shopping for bansk.com. It didn’t determine who it was appearing on behalf of or make a authorized menace. SiteTools stated the area wasn’t on the market however would think about gives. Bansk Group’s consultant provided $10,000, which SiteTools declined.

On November 2, the consultant despatched one other provide of $10,000 and threatened authorized motion if the provide wasn’t accepted.

So SiteTools struck first. It filed a lawsuit on November 12 in courtroom in California. By submitting there, it may possibly struggle the battle in SiteTools’ yard, which can be a part of the Ninth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit has loads of case regulation across the Anticybersquatting Shopper Safety Act (ACPA) that might favor SiteTools.

Web site Instruments is asking for declaratory judgment of non-cybersquatting, declaratory judgment of non-infringement, cancellation of Bansk Group’s mark, and statutory damages of as much as $200,000.

Attorneys John Berryhill and Michael A. Lengthy are representing SiteTools.