There’s some debate among domainers and those who focus on search engine optimization, or SEO, about the role of hyphens or dashes in domain names, but when it comes to resolving cybersquatting disputes, the message is clear: hyphens don’t matter.
For example, in one recent case that I discuss in a video on the GigaLaw YouTube channel, a panel under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) found that the domain name <l-e-g-o.com>, which contains the LEGO trademark with hyphens in between each and every letter, was confusingly similar to the trademark. As a result, it was easy for Lego to satisfy the first element of the UDRP’s three-part test, which requires every trademark owner to prove that the disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark in which it has rights.
In the Lego case, the panel wrote:
The disputed domain name includes the entirety of the distinctive LEGO mark with the addition of hyphens between the letters. This addition does not prevent a finding of confusing similarity under the first element. The Complainant’s trademark is clearly recognizable as the distinctive element within the disputed domain name.
While including hyphens in between letters is a bit unusual, it is not at all uncommon for cybersquatters to use hyphens elsewhere in domain names, sometimes in between multiple words of a trademark or to set off a trademark from another word, such as in the case of <disabled-american-veterans.org>, <trivago-asia.com>, or <facebook-verifications.com> — all real-life UDRP cases that resulted in decisions ordering transfers of the disputed domain names to the obvious trademark owners.
Some UDRP cases have even included domains with multiple consecutive hyphens, such as <wal---mart.com>, <delta---tickets.life>, or <bmw---deutschland.info>, each of which has three hyphens in the middle.
Cybersquatters often use hyphens in domain names to conduct scams, so trademark owners should be aware of and taken action on these issues.
Learn more about hyphens in UDRP cases in the video below:
