Franchise Recruiters LTD.® Wins Internet Domain Decision
Ownership of "franchiserecruiters.com" legally determined
The World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center has handed down a decision in favor of Franchise Recruiters Ltd. in a long-running dispute over the Internet Domain Name, "franchiserecruiters.com." This arbitrator's ruling, which found that the Respondent, Franstaff, Inc., had engaged in "abusive registration and use" of the domain name "franchiserecruiters.com" confirms the rights of trademark owners to the use of their marks as domain names on the Internet.
The domain name will be transferred to Franchise Recruiters Ltd. in ten days according to the decision. Until then, Franchise Recruiters Ltd. can still be accessed at "franchiserecruitersltd.com."
The legal Panel also concluded that Franstaff "registered and has used the disputed domain name in bad faith," and did so "to direct Internet users to its competing website for purposes of commercial gain."
Jerry Wilkerson, president, and founder of the 18-year-old U.S., and Canadian based Franchise Recruiters Ltd., an executive search firm, said the confusion over Internet sites and the challenge to his corporate identity is now over. Wilkerson is also the former President of the International Franchise Association in Washington, D.C., a trade organization representing franchising worldwide.
Wilkerson stated, "We were delighted with the ruling. It removes a shadow placed on my corporate name, Franchise Recruiters, and affirms our belief in the rights of trademark owners, even when a competitor would use the name for its own purposes by registering it as a domain name.
"Our executive recruiting clients know Franchise Recruiters by our integrity through 18 years of business. This ruling confirms our right to identify that integrity by exclusive use of the Trademark, Franchise Recruiters," Wilkerson concluded.
