German supermarket chain Norma loses lawsuit, Norma.app goes to Greek AI startup

Recently, an international dispute over the Norma.app domain name has garnered widespread attention in the domain name investment and intellectual property sectors. Norma Lebensmittelfilialbetrieb Stiftung & Co. KG (hereinafter referred to as "Norma"), a well-known German discount supermarket chain, filed an arbitration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to reclaim the domain name through UDRP proceedings, but ultimately lost the case, and the domain name remains in the hands of a Greek tech startup.

Norma holds multiple "NORMA" trademark registrations in Europe and has a long history, with hundreds of stores in Germany and neighboring countries. Based on its trademark rights, Norma claims that the Norma.app domain name, registered by a Greek company, infringes upon its legitimate rights, creates a confusing image, and is intended to profit from it. Therefore, the company filed a complaint with WIPO, requesting that the domain name be transferred to its own name.

However, after hearing the case, the arbitration panel determined that the Greek registrant was indeed using the domain name for business purposes, and that it was not a cybersquatting operation. Public information indicates that this Greek company, founded in 2022 and using "Norma" as its corporate name, primarily specializes in AI analytics and cloud-based warehousing solutions, a distinct industry from the retail supermarket industry. Its website and app services are centered around AI technology and do not exploit Norma Supermarket's brand reputation for misleading or profiteering.

The arbitration panel noted in its ruling that while Norma Supermarket holds a legitimate trademark, the WIPO UDRP framework requires the complainant to prove bad faith in the registration and use of the domain name in question. In this case, the registration of the domain name Norma.app is consistent with the Greek company's actual business operations, lacking evidence of malicious cybersquatting. Furthermore, given the significant differences between retail supermarket consumers and users of AI technology services, "the likelihood of misleading or confusing is extremely low."

Ultimately, the WIPO ruling rejected Norma Supermarket's request and upheld the Greek company's ownership of Norma.app. While the panel noted the complaint was "misconceived," it did not find it constituted reverse domain name hijacking (RDNH).