Hi, everyone. I have a question for you because this is relating to a matter that I am not very familiar with. I've done a lot of website design and development for years, but I've never had to deal with (or help a client deal with) a domain dispute. I'll give you the summary of the situation:

A client I am working for had a website under their company name several years ago with their old web developer. For the sake of the example, let's say this company is called John's Sprockets. They used their company name as the domain -- johnssprockets.com. Their company name is a trademark and this company has existed for a very long time.

Regrettably, their web developer was pretty crappy. He didn't keep up on things and he allowed the domain to expire. My client was unaware that this had happened until it was too late, and someone registered the domain out from under them.

I did some investigation into the matter and it appears that the domain was grabbed by a company affiliated with DirectI. The "Find something interesting" tagline on the parking page gives it away. Domain tools provides the following information:

Registrant:
Private Registrations Aktien Gesellschaft
CNR of Granby & Sharpe St.
Suite K2134
Kingstown kingstown
VC

Domain Name: JOHNSSPROCKETS.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Private Registrations Aktien Gesellschaft

CNR of Granby & Sharpe St.
Suite K2134
Kingstown kingstown
VC
+852-81245729

Record expires on 11-Dec-2010.
Record created on 10-Dec-1996.

Domain servers in listed order:

SK.S5.ANS1.NS129.ZTOMY.COM
SK.S5.ANS2.NS129.ZTOMY.COM

Since the name is trademarked, this is a pretty cut and dry case of squatting, isn't it? I'm assuming a cease and desist letter demanding the return of the domain would be sufficient for them to back down (especially since I can't imagine that the domain is making them much money at all), but I'm deferring to those of you who may be more experienced with such situations. What do you guys recommend in dealing with this? Any advice is good advice to me.

Thanks!

I would start by emailing the current registrant and politely inform them you have the name trademarked and request it back. If they seem non-cooperative, or don't respond, tell them you intend to open a dispute.

Private Registrations AG has been mentioned before: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=682494
They appear to get expired domains, but being a domain privacy service (?) it could be some other company.
Ztomy appears to be your standard ad-search site, which has a different domain privacy provider.

DirectI operates under the name "Public Domain Registry" for its registrar, but this may be registered with a reseller of ResellerClub instead. Try contacting them through their abuse sites (PDR (http://www.publicdomainregistry.com/report-abuse/), ResellerClub (http://www.resellerclub.com/report-abuse))

I would start by emailing the current registrant and politely inform them you have the name trademarked and request it back. If they seem non-cooperative, or don't respond, tell them you intend to open a dispute.

Absolutely. As trade mark was created first and only then domain name appeared.
I'm sure you will win

A google search for "CNR of Granby & Sharpe St." and "WIPO" gave many results, it will be an easy case, you have the trademark and it's a well known squater, this makes things even easier.

The squater may still want a small amount for the domain, less than the wipo cost, it's something usually done in this cases to make a small profit.

This WIPO case against the same squater will be useful for you
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2009/d2009-1122.html

Update: It's true, is a privacy service, not the squatter, so you don't know who got the domain, but if you go to wipo, the privacy service probably will just ignore, will not answer and you will win the domain.

Try to get in touch with the registrant to know what are his demands, after that decide yourself if you want to ask the registrar to cancel the privacy service or not.

If i were you i would ask an admin to edit your post and remove the domain name, it's the only page that appears on google when seaching for the domain and you don't want the squatter to read this page ;-)

EDIT: Hey, that domain name is unregistered!!!
Warning, if any of you are considering registering it, forget it or look for a lawyer

You will probably find it was a clear case of the registrar holding the domain to see how "busy" the domain was for poss revenue reasons, PPC etc etc

Get in quick tell your punter and he will be overly happy with you! :)

EDIT: Hey, that domain name is unregistered!!!
Warning, if any of you are considering registering it, forget it or look for a lawyer
It's free for registration. The OP only used that domain as an example:
For the sake of the example, let's say this company is called John's Sprockets. They used their company name as the domain -- johnssprockets.com.

Now I have to wonder which squatter has regged it it on spec.

Karma!

Can it really be called squatting?
Grabbing expired domains is a common thing and completely legal in and of itself.
We don't know the intent of these people or how much they knew about the domain before they regged it, so calling it squatting is premature imo..

That being said, go through the channels and I'm sure you'll get the domain back.

It's not cut 'n dried if they are not infringing on any copyrights or trademarks.