Mermet.com, French surname dispute sparks domain name lawsuit

The dispute over the domain name Mermet.com between the French company Mermet SAS and the Frenchman Didier Mermet has attracted a lot of attention, with Mermet SAS complaining about the use of the domain name raised by the respondent, as well as its pricing, which is as high as 150,000 euros.

However, Didier Mermet registered the domain name in 1998, used it as a personal portal and therefore claimed legal rights to the domain name. When forced to sell, he simply made an offer to relinquish his investment rights. After an investigation by a WIPO panel, it was found that there was no bad faith in the registration or use of the domain name and therefore Mermet.com will continue to belong to Didier Mermet. they also rejected a similar complaint for the Mermet.eu domain name.

The Complainant, Mermet SAS, was founded in 1951 and specialises in the design and manufacture of high-tech fabrics for the visual and thermal comfort of the occupants of various buildings. The company was founded by Henri Mermet and joined the Hunter Douglas group of companies in 2005. The Complainant is the owner of a number of domain names containing the MERMET logo and the holder of a number of trade marks, including the EU trade mark MERMET.

The disputed domain name was registered by Respondent Didier Mermet in 1998 for use as his personal portal. Following a hearing at the Arbitration and Mediation Centre, it was ruled that the registration and use of the domain name complied with the relevant regulations, and therefore the request for transfer of the Mermet.com domain name was denied.