YE Hub Armenia LLC, a subsidiary of Russian company Yandex NV, filed a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) lawsuit against the operator of the domain name playhop.io.
It is understood that the complainant, YE Hub Armenia LLC, operates the official platform Playhop.com and registered the international trademark “PLAYHOP” in multiple jurisdictions (including Vietnam, where the respondent is located) as early as 2022, possessing legitimate trademark rights.
In the case, the respondent argued that “playhop” is a generic combination of “play” and “hop,” chosen independently for its game project, and that its website provides free online games, generating revenue solely through advertising. However, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) panel found this argument unconvincing.
Upon investigation, the layout and content of the playhop.io website were found to be highly similar to the complainant’s official website, and it redirected users to other domains such as playhop-game.com and playhop.games, all of which used the same plagiarized brand logo. The panel further pointed out that the respondent knowingly used the name “PLAYHOP” to confuse users and gain commercial advantage, despite knowing the “PLAYHOP” trademark was already registered in Vietnam (predating its 2024 domain registration). This imitation and profit-driven redirection constituted typical evidence of malicious intent.
Ultimately, the panel ruled to approve the domain transfer request and ordered the playhop.io domain to be transferred to the complainant, YE Hub Armenia LLC.
News Source:DomainGang，This article does not represent our position.
