Groupon’s major Australian rival, Scoopon, has said the impending domain name cybersquatting and trademark infringement case filed against it “will be interesting.”
The case is scheduled for August and revolves around Scoopon’s acquisition of Groupon.com.au prior to the U.S. firm’s launch of its discount voucher operation in the territory.
Speaking exclusively to Ad News, Scoopon and Catch of the Day co-founder Gabby Leibovich said that Groupon is already destined to fail in Australia — regardless of the outcome of the cybersquatting and trademark infringement case.
With Groupon.com.au spoken for, the firm was forced to launch under the brand name Star Deal — at the website stardeals.com.au.
Leibovich said: “Groupon has come late to this market with a suitcase full of cash but sometimes cash is not all that is needed. They really need to understand the Australian market. I think they will fail.”
Groupon also appears to be having trouble in China, where its website was shut down less than 24 hours after launching, reports The People’s Daily.