8/16/2019 Summary of LAFARGE Case
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Vietnam: Landmark win in LAFARGE domain name dispute.
People's Court in Da Nang Cit! "#$%.
Verdi&t No. #("#$%()D*+,-*
Fa&ts: n "##/! La0arge o0 1$ Rue Des 2elles Feuilles F ,
3$$1 Paris! Fran&e! dis&o4ered t5at
t5e Vietnamese domain name www.lafarge.com.vn 5ad 6een
registered 6 P5am *5i Ngo& 7an!
a woman 0rom Da Nang. Con&erned a6out &6ers8uatting! in
Fe6ruar "#$#! La0arge sent a
&ease,and,desist letter to t5e registrant! seeking a
4oluntar return o0 t5e domain name to
La0arge. n repl to t5e letter! 7an 6ra9enl demanded $." million
0or t5e return o0 t5e domain
name. La0arge de&ided to pro&eed wit5 legal a&tions
to retrie4e t5e disputed domain name.
ssue:
$. Did +.s Ngo& 7an;s a&tions &6ers8uatting t5e name
o0 la0arge.&om.4n and using t5e
name 0or o6stru&ting LAFARGE and re,selling t5e name 0or
6ene0its 4iolate t5e
trademark rig5t and negati4el e00e&t t5e 6rand name o0
LAFARGE &ompan <
". Did +s 7an;s ations o0 using t5e site La0arge.&om.4n 0or
ad4ertising and sales o0
&onstru&tion material pre=udi&e t5e reputation or
popularit o0 t5e mark LAFARGE <
Ruling:
$. 2ot5 o0 t5e answers o0 t5e 8uestions are >?es@. *5e domain
name la0arge.&om.4n
is used on 6ad 0ait5 w5i&5 is e4iden&ed 6 +.s 7an;s
o00er 0or sale o0 su&5 domain
name w5i&5 5as &onstituted an un0air &ompetition!
in0ringing t5e trademark rig5ts
o4er LAFARGE.
". People's Court in Da Nang Cit de&ided and rendered a
=udgement No.
#("#$%()D*+,-* to wit5draw t5e domain name
>la0arge.&om.4n@ and gi4e priorit
0or t5e LAFARGE &ompan to register t5e disputed domain name
wit5in $#
&onse&uti4e das upon t5e legal e00e&t o0 t5e
=udgement.
Reasons:
$. At t5e time o0 initiation and a&&eptan&e o0 t5e
&ase! t5e trademark LAFARGE!
LAFARGE B de4i&e are still prote&ted in Vietnam.
". *5ere is no aut5ori9ation or trade representati4e agreement
6etween LAFARGE and
+s. P5am *5i Ngo& 7an. +s. 7an 5as not dire&t or
indire&t relation wit5 t5e mark
LAFARGE.
http://www.lafarge.com.vn/http://www.lafarge.com.vn/http://www.lafarge.com.vn/
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. *5e we6site la0arge.&om.4n 5as linked to
la0arge.=imdo.&om! in 6ot5 5ome page
and t5e epanded page in t5e we6site! t5e letter L is 4isi6le in
a dire&t wa! w5i&5
is 6old wit5 si9ea6le 0ont on t5e lig5t 6lue s5adow! in t5e
middle o0 t5e letter L! t5e
4er6al element LAFARGE is represented in t5e 6la&k 0ont in a
prominent wa!
6elow is t5e element >. &om.4n! LAFARGE deems t5at
t5e a0oresaid sign is
identi&al to its mark LAFARGE B de4i&e.
%. +s. P5am *5i Ngo& 7an registers t5e domain name
la0arge.&om.4n 0or t5e purpose
o0 possessing t5e rig5t to use t5e domain name! aiming at
o6stru&ting LAFARGE to
register t5e domain name and 0or re,sales 0or 6ene0its.
Re0eren&e
5ttp:((www.ken0olaw.&om(news(%/1,ip,news($#,0irst,&ase,to,su&&ess0ull,re&laim,t5e,
domain,name,4n,t5roug5,&ourt.5tml
5ttp:((www.managingip.&om(Arti&le(1"%(Vietnam,Landmark,win,in,La0arge,domain,name,
dispute.5tml
5ttp:((www.nolo.&om(legal,en&&lopedia(&6ers8uatting,w5at,w5at,&an,6e,"/33.5tml
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