Mayoral Candidate Forced to Turn Over Web Name

By Charles Sercombe

Hamtramck mayoral candidate Akm Rahman calls himself a webmaster who has created over 30 website domain names.

Last year, though, one Detroit area construction company accused Rahman of claiming three website domain names using the company’s name in an effort to receive a $250,000 payment.

Homrich Inc. filed a complaint last year in July with the National Arbitration Forum to force Rahman to forfeit the names.

Rahman registered the names, homrich.net, homrich.com and homrich.org. He told an arbitrator who heard the complaint that he had no intention of selling the names and that Homrich is his nickname.

The arbitrator, Paul DeCicco, said Rahman’s claim that Homrich is his nickname “appears quite fantastic” and that it “reflects most adversely upon Respondent’s (Rahman’s) veracity.”

Rahman was ordered to surrender the name at no charge to the company.

When websites were first being created, it was common for speculators to register the names of well-known companies in order to sell them to the companies at a high price.

The arbitrator in this case said Rahman lacked the right to hold the domain names and that he used the names “in bad faith.”

A representative from Homrich did not return repeated calls during the past two weeks.

Rahman denied he tried to sell the name or that he had any interest in selling it. He at first told a reporter that “Homrich” was a name of a friend and in a later interview said it was his nickname.

“I have a lot of nicknames,” he said.

He also said he created the homrich website because “I though it would be nice name for a search engine.”

Rahman said he decided not to appeal the arbitrator’s decision “because it was a waste of time.”

He added that he agreed to hand over the domain name even though he didn’t think the Homrich company “had any proof” he purposely registered it to get money from the company.

“I didn’t ask for money from anybody,” Rahman said.