.EU Panel Rejects Surname Claim, Investor Keeps Hime.eu Domain Name

Recently, a dispute involving the Hime.eu domain name has garnered significant attention. An EU Domain Name Dispute Resolution Panel dismissed a complainant's complaint based on surname rights and ruled that the disputed domain name remains in the hands of an experienced domain name investor.

In 2021, Luc Biggs (Key Domains Unipessoal Lda.), a seasoned domain name investor, registered Hime.eu. "Hime," literally meaning "princess" in Japanese, holds a natural cultural appeal across a variety of fields, including fashion, beauty, and anime, making it a potentially universal term. From the outset, he viewed it as an investment with inherent value, rather than as a specific individual or institution. For several years, he had consigned the domain to Sedo for sale, listing it for €9,999.

Two years later, in early summer 2025, a Portuguese woman named Mariana Leite Baptista Hime, now residing in Brazil, filed a complaint with the .EU Domain Name Dispute Resolution Body, alleging her surname's identity rights. Citing the Portuguese Civil Code's provisions on the right to a given name, she argued that Hime.eu and her surname "constituted a legitimate interest" and requested that the domain name be transferred to her.

In the Hime.eu case, the complainant attempted to assert ownership of the domain name based on her surname. However, after review, the panel held that the surname alone was insufficient to establish a legitimate interest in the domain name.

According to common practice in domain name dispute resolution, it is difficult to assert domain name rights based solely on a surname unless the surname has considerable fame or has developed into a trademark.

The panel found that the domain name investor in question had not registered or used the domain name in bad faith, and therefore did not meet the necessary conditions for a domain name transfer.

Ultimately, in 2025, the panel dismissed the complaint, the domain name would not be transferred, and Hime.eu would continue to be owned by Luc Biggs. This result sends an important message: even if the complainant has the right to the surname, as long as the full domain name holder can prove that his behavior is based on normal business logic and common usage, rather than targeting individuals or attempting to make profits, it is difficult to constitute a basis for transfer.