LOS ANGELES — The operator of Cam4.com has been awarded the domain name Cam4Hot.com after an arbitrator ruled last month that the name is confusingly similar to its adult webcam site franchise.
Cam4.com, launched in June 2007, is the 247th most popular website in the world. Its operator, Surecom Corp., claims that over five years, the site has had more than 1 billion unique visitors who seek out live broadcasts from women, men, couples and transgenders.
It its claim with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, Surecom alleged that the named operator of Cam4Hot.com, Jonathan Dela Cruz, had infringed on its U.S. trademark for Cam4 that was registered in 2011.
Cam4Hot.com, created in August 2013, has not officially been transferred to Cam4.com, and currently redirects to JustHookup.com.
The WIPO decision, made by neutral Tuukka Airaksinen, said that the disputed domain name consists of the trademark Cam4 and the suffix “hot.”
"The word 'hot' is a generic English word often used in connection with adult entertainment services," Airaksinen wrote. "The addition of such a generic suffix is not sufficient to avoid confusing similarity with the complainant's trademark."
Airaksinen, as a result, found that the disputed domain name was registered and was being used in bad faith.
Dela Cruz did not respond to Surecom's allegations.