New Delhi, Dec 07: In a victory to a leading Indian Fashion group 'Ravissant' over its NRI-owned rival 'vama inc', Wipo, an apex body of arbitration, has transferred the domain name "eravissant.Com" to the delhi-based haut couture major, holding that American group registered that web address in "bad faith". Wipo (world intellectual property rights organisation) held that despite knowing that Ravvisant Ltd was using the impugned marks for its business, the American group registered the domain name using the mark "Ravissant" to mislead the people into believing that 'Vama Inc's' goods and website were those of New Delhi-based leading maker of designer silverware.

"These circumstances constitute evidence of both bad faith registration and bad faith use," Wipo's sole panelist in the dispute, Alan L Limbury said in the order communicated to Ravissant's counsel Pravin Anand, who argued its case before the world body at Geneva.

Besides, the bad faith registration of the disputed domain name, Anand had alleged that California-based Vama Inc, importer and distributor of handicrafts and silver gifts, registered domain name identical and confusingly similar to trade mark and service mark of Ravissant in which the NRI-owner had no legitimate interest.
Ravissant contended that it had registered five trade marks with the word "Ravissant" and was manufacturing and dealing in sterling silverware, silver, gold jewellery, fashion accessories, home decor and leather accessories besides operating website at "www.cest-ravissant.com".
Bureau Report