Facts

Plaintiff Verizon Communications Inc. maintained a website with registered trademarks. Defendant OnlineNIC registered 663 internet domain names. Verizon filed suit for trademark infringement.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Verizon contended that OnlineNIC was cybersquatting by registering domain names that were similar or identical to Verizon's protected trademark. Verizon argued that these registrations were made in bad faith, were unlawful, and done with the sole purpose of steering legitimate traffic away from Verizon onto OnlineNIC's sites.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
OnlineNIC did not appear to defendant the action because it did not have actual notice of the suit. The company is investigating the allegations set forth in the complaint and hopes to have the opportunity to address the merits of the case.

Result

The court found for Verizon in the amount of $50,000 for each "bad faith" registration by OnlineNIC.