Indian ride-hailing giant ANI Technologies, operator of the Ola app, has lost a cybersquatting complaint over the premium domain Ola.com.

The current domain owner acquired the name through a legal debt settlement after the original owner passed away. A U.S. court awarded him the domain following the unpaid debt.

A WIPO panel ruled against ANI, stating the owner had legitimate rights and did not register the domain in bad faith. Interestingly, one of the seven-figure offers the owner received was reportedly from Ola itself.

The panel did not find reverse domain name hijacking, noting ANI likely wasn’t fully aware of the domain’s legal history.

Legal reps:

• Complainant: Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

• Respondent: John Berryhill