Woodbolt Distribution LLC, a globally renowned health and wellness company, has successfully obtained the transfer of a disputed domain name “c5energy.uk” at Nominet, and WP Thompson was proud to represent them in these proceedings. Nutrabolt sells, among other products, C4 and C4 Energy supplement products via a worldwide network of retailers (website www.cellucor.com).
The disputed domain name was registered by Ahmad Nassan, the owner of Ultramade Nutrition and Beverages FZE and the Respondent in the Nominet proceedings.
The Nominet Expert at first instance (July 2026) concluded that c5energy.uk was an abusive registration since the Respondent had clear knowledge of Woodbolt and its trade mark rights at the time of registering the disputed domain name, and would have known that Woodbolt was likely to object to its registration considering the prior history of contentious proceedings between the parties in jurisdictions around the world.
The Respondent subsequently appealed the first instance decision at Nominet. The Appeal Panel decided in Woodbolt’s favour (September 2026) and rejected the appeal, upholding the Expert’s first instance decision and its rationale.
A few key takeaways:
- Persuading the Expert that the registration of the disputed domain name is abusive was key to Woodbolt’s success. This can be demonstrated by submitting clear evidence that the Respondent is aware of the Complainant’s trade mark rights at the time the disputed domain name is registered.
- Nominet is not strictly bound by decisions made by other courts or trade mark registries. What matters is demonstrating that the domain name is an abusive registration by the specific facts of the case.
- Earlier trade mark rights from around the world can be adduced by the Complainant for Nominet proceedings and such rights are not restricted to just UK trade marks.
If you need assistance in domain name disputes, our team would be delighted to help you.
Ai Ling Lim-Lee and Neil Manani