Nike wins the domain name Nike.ru in Russian court

The Moscow Commercial Court ruled on January 15 to transfer the domain name Nike.Ru from businessman Stas Drugalyov, that heads the Caravan Telecom domain registrar, to Nike’s Russian office.

Nike’s lawyer Anton Sergo stated in court that Drugalyov has never owned the trademark, adding that the domain does not reflect his or the registrar’s name. He stressed that Nike is the rightful owner of the brand of the same name.

The lawyer also questioned Drugalyov’s legitimacy by pointing out that he owns 106 other domains that resemble easily recognizable brands, such as 7dorog.ru, don-stroy.ru, donstroy.ru, eflaw.ru, geneva.ru, linux.ru, police.ru, thailand.ru, and virtuallinux.ru, among others. Most of these domains are not actively used or have been put up for sale.

After hearing both parties, the court ruled that Drugalyov was not properly using the disputed domain and ordered him to surrender it to Nike. The verdict can be appealed within 30 days. Until that time, Nike will continue using its old URL: www.nike.com/ru/ru_ru.