Eveli.com: RDNH Ruling Against Jewelry Brand

In a domain name dispute case, jewelry manufacturer Mengjia Li was found guilty of a reverse domain name hijacking (RDNH) for attempting to obtain the domain name Eveli.com through a UDRP.

Mengjia Li operated a jewelry business under the trade name "Eve Li" through the domain name eveli.co.uk and registered the trademark "EVE LI FINE JEWELLERY" in 2024. She claimed to have used the name "Eve Li" in her workplace since 2005, attempting to prove that she had a legal interest in the word "Eveli". However, the only evidence she provided was an application for a gemology course, which included an email address with the word "Eve", which was weak.

The disputed domain name Eveli.com was registered as early as 2005 by Zhou Zongwen, long before the complainant began using the brand name. Although DomainTools' Whois history shows that the domain may have been transferred to the current owner in 2010 or 2011, the Panel still accepts its initial registration year as 2005. Even if calculated as the latest 2011, it is still earlier than the Complainant's any trademark rights.

The case materials show that Mengjia Li once offered RMB 34,500 (about US$4,800) to purchase the domain, but failed to reach a deal and subsequently filed a UDRP dispute.

In his response, the Respondent pointed out that he had held the domain name many years before he met the Complainant, and the domain name was not associated with any jewelry-related content. The Panel also did not find any malicious registration or actions against the Complainant. Given that the Complainant registered the trademark much later than the domain name was registered, and failed to prove that it had relevant rights before the registrant, the Panel finally made the following decisions:

Dismiss the complaint;

Determined that the Complainant constituted reverse domain name hijacking, attempting to improperly seize the domain name legally held by others.

This case once again reminds brands that they need to carefully evaluate their rights and domain name registration history before filing a domain name dispute. Rashly filing a complaint may backfire.

After a failed acquisition, jeweler Mengjia Li filed a UDRP in an attempt to reclaim Eveli.com, a domain name that had been registered for nearly 20 years. However, in the absence of a valid rights basis and evidence, she was ruled to have committed reverse domain name hijacking and ultimately lost the case.