Citigroup Successfully Recovers Domain Name Citi.ai in UDRP Lawsuit

Recently, Citigroup recovered the domain name Citi.ai from Respondent Quoc Bui of California through a legal proceeding under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). The Panel determined that the domain name was too similar to Citigroup's well-known trademark CITI and found that Respondent had acted in bad faith in the registration and use of the domain name.

Background of the Case

Citigroup, founded in 1812, is a globally recognized multinational banking and financial services company, whose “CITI” trademark has long been one of the world's most recognizable brand symbols. The domain name Citi.ai was registered by the Respondent, Quoc Bui, and is hosted on a pay-per-click commercial website. In addition, the Complainant discovered that the Respondent had attempted to sell the domain name for $100,000 dollars.

In the Complaint, Citigroup emphasizes the worldwide recognition of its “CITI” trademark and the brand value it has accumulated since its registration in 1981.

Respondent's Defense

Respondent contends that it registered the Domain Name for the purpose of developing an artificial intelligence platform and defines “CITI” as an acronym for “Carbon Innovation and Trading Initiative” (“CITI”). CITI” is defined as an acronym for ‘Carbon Innovation and Trading Initiative’ to support projects related to climate change, such as carbon credit trading. However, the Respondent has not provided any credible evidence to support this claim, nor has it demonstrated that it has any legitimate rights or interests in the Domain Name.

More notably, after receiving an inquiry for the purchase of the domain name, the Respondent offered to make an offer of $100,000 and claimed that the transaction would be completed through the Sedo platform.

Panel Decision

Panelist Alan L. Limbury noted at the hearing:

1. Similarity of Domain Names

The Panel found that the citi.ai domain name is identical to Citigroup's trademark CITI (disregarding the “.ai” suffix) and is likely to cause confusion.

2. Lack of Legal Rights

Respondent has failed to demonstrate that it has any legitimate rights or interests in the Domain Name. The “Carbon Innovation and Trading Initiative” in the Respondent's defense is a fictitious acronym and does not provide any evidence of an actual business plan.

3. Bad faith registration and use

The Panel notes that Citigroup's CITI mark is highly recognizable and Respondent was clearly aware of its existence when it registered the domain name. The fact that the domain name was used for a pay-per-click website and priced to sell is further evidence of Respondent's bad faith.

Ruling Outcome

Pursuant to the UDRP, the Panel determines that the registration and use of citi.ai constitutes bad faith and requires that the domain name be transferred to Citigroup.