Leah.ai wins UDRP dispute, reverse domain hijacking officially recognized

Recently, a UDRP dispute over the domain name Leah.ai officially came to an end, with the panel ruling in favor of the current holder of the domain name and finding that the complainant constituted reverse domain hijacking.

The case was filed by ContractPod Technologies Ltd. in the UK, an AI legal technology company that acquired the "LEAH" trademark from Embecta Corp. in 2023. The complainant claimed that Leah.ai infringed its trademark interests in the field of legal software, and accused the holder of maliciously registering the domain name and asking for a high price. They pointed out that the holder had conducted an anonymous survey through DomainAgents and expressed his willingness to acquire the domain name for $2,000, but was asked to pay a bid of more than $1 million.

However, the respondent provided clear reasons for rebuttal. He explained that "Leah" is his daughter's name, and the domain name was registered for future personal projects related to his daughter's AI interests, which is completely non-commercial. He also submitted proof of identity to support his statement, and pointed out that the anonymous bid of $2,000 was made without disclosing the identity of the buyer, and it is possible that it was an attempt to lower the price.

After a detailed review of the materials submitted by both parties, the panel pointed out that:

Leah.ai was registered before the complainant obtained the LEAH trademark rights;

The complainant failed to provide specific evidence that the domain name registrant had malicious registration or use;

The domain name holder has a legitimate interest in the domain name;

The complaint filed by the complainant is strategic in nature, more like an attempt to "take a different approach" after the purchase negotiations failed.

The final ruling rejected the domain name transfer request and clearly determined that ContractPod Technologies' actions constituted reverse domain name hijacking. This is a formal condemnation of abuse of procedures under the UDRP mechanism. At present, Leah.ai has issued a statement on its website, stating that the ruling result is a clear and fair result. ​

This case also reminds companies again that UDRP is not a means to bypass market prices. In particular, if malicious registration and use cannot be proved, abusing the dispute procedure may hurt their own reputation. At the same time, this case also demonstrates the victory of domain name holders in legal use and reasonable defense, and reserves space for the legitimate rights of individual registrants.