Website closed down for using CND Shellac brand names

A retail website selling counterfeit Shellac product under the domain name cnd-shellac.co.uk, was closed down this week by the internet registry company Nominet.

US nail brand CND lodged a formal dispute against the owners of the cnd-shellac.co.uk website after it was discovered using unauthorised CND trademarks.

The Nominet specialist solicitor in Intellectual Property, Simon Chapman, found cnd-shellac.co.uk “as an abusive registration, using the domain name in a way that has confused or is likely to confuse people into believing that the Doman Name is registered to or otherwise connected with the Complainant.”

£201million is lost every year in the UK’s cosmetic and personal care sector due to counterfeiting, and as popularity increases for the ‘chip-free’ lacquer finish, fake shellac nail products have became a problem for the company.

CND became aware of the counterfeit website, cnd-shellac.co.uk, in October 2014 and purchased products from the website in order to perform tests on them.

After the shellac polishes were found to be counterfeit, CND's solicitors complained to the website regarding its activities which subsequently led to the website being taken down.