PapaJohns.cn Dispute Highlights Tense China Brand-Protection Climate (1.Viewing)

A dispute over PapaJohns.cn is shining a light on how aggressive some Chinese domain registrants have become as Western brands push deeper into the country’s smaller cities.

The registrant didn’t just ignore Papa John’s cease-and-desist letter—they fired back with a defiant response that forced the pizza chain to escalate legally. It’s a pattern we’re seeing more often. Chinese cybersquatting operations are getting bolder, especially targeting Western food, clothing, and consumer brands trying to break into Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets where brand awareness is still developing.

Read more: PapaJohns.cn Dispute Highlights Tense China Brand-Protection Climate

PapaJohns.cn: Chinese cybersuatter’s brazen response to C&D​

When Papa John’s sent a cease-and-desist, the Respondent replied that he buys “large quantities of expired and deleted domains every day” and claimed any infringement was unintentional—then immediately put a price on cooperation: USD 1,000 to transfer the name.

When Papa John’s pointed out the clear infringement and asked for a free transfer or deletion, he doubled down, insisting on the USD 1,000 figure and stating he would cease communication if the price was lower. The Panel treated that email exchange as a brazen attempt to monetize a well-known mark, not an innocent portfolio clean-up.

Read more: PapaJohns.cn: Chinese cybersuatter’s brazen response to C&D – DomainGang