URS DEFAULT DETERMINATION
Philip Morris Products S.A. v. ON-Store
Claim Number: FA1911001869481
DOMAIN NAME
<iqos.bar>
PARTIES
Complainant: Philip Morris Products S.A. of Neuchâtel, II, Switzerland | |
Complainant Representative: DM KISCH INC
Andrew Papadopoulos of Sandton, II, South Africa
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Respondent: ON-Store / Mykola Omelchenko ON-Store ON-Store of Kiev, II, UA | |
REGISTRIES and REGISTRARS
Registries: Punto 2012 Sociedad Anonima Promotora de Inversion de Capital Variable | |
Registrars: Tucows.com Co. |
EXAMINER
The undersigned certifies that he or she has acted independently and impartially and to the best of his or her knowledge has no known conflict in serving as Examiner in this proceeding. | |
Natalia Stetsenko, as Examiner |
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant Submitted: November 1, 2019 | |
Commencement: November 1, 2019 | |
Default Date: November 18, 2019 | |
Having reviewed the communications records, the Examiner finds that the Forum has discharged its responsibility under URS Procedure Paragraphs 3 and 4 and Rule 4 of the Rules for the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (the "Rules"). |
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant requests that the domain name be suspended for the life of the registration. |
STANDARD OF REVIEW
Clear and convincing evidence. |
FINDINGS and DISCUSSION
Findings of Fact: The Complainant has established rights in the " IQOS" trademark based on its Swiss registration No. 660918, registered on July 7, 2014 (Exhibit A). The trademark use has been confirmed by entries in the Trademark Clearinghouse (Exhibit B) pre-dating the date of registration of the disputed domain name. |
Even though the Respondent has defaulted, URS Procedure 1.2.6, requires Complainant to make a prima facie case, proven by clear and convincing evidence, for each of the following three elements to obtain an order that a domain name should be suspended.
[URS 1.2.6.1] The registered domain name(s) is/are identical or confusingly similar
to a word mark: Determined: Finding for Complainant The disputed domain name is identical to the Complainant's mark because it incorporates its "IQOS" registered mark, simply adding the gTLD ".bar". Adding a gTLD is not sufficient to escape the finding that the domain name is identical to the Complainant's "IQOS" trademark. [URS 1.2.6.2] Registrant has no legitimate right or interest to the domain name. Determined: Finding for Complainant The Registrant is in no way related to the Complainant's business, and the Complainant has not authorized the Respondent to register and use the disputed domain. Furthermore, Complainant has shown based on clear and convincing evidence that the Respondent is using the domain name to promote goods not related to the Complainant, which is not a bona fide use. Respectively, the Respondent has no rights and legitimate interests in the domain name.
[URS 1.2.6.3] The domain name(s) was/were registered and is being used in bad faith.
Determined: Finding for Complainant The evidence provided by the Complainant clearly show that the Respondent is prominently using the Complainant's IQOS trademark and copyright protected marketing material on the website, while never identifying its true identity. Respectively, the fourth "bad faith" factor identified in URS Rule 1.2.6.3 applies here because such use by the Respondent qualifies for an attempt to attract Internet users looking for Complainant's goods and to purposefully mislead users as to the source, sponsorship, or endorsement of the offerings under the disputed domain. Particularly, while using the Complainant's IQOS mark, the Respondent also offers products unrelated to the Complainant, which is not a bona fide use. According to established practice, the Respondent must use its website to sell only the trademarked goods; otherwise, it could be using the trademark to bait Internet users and then switch them to other goods. See Nikon, Inc. v. Technilab, WIPO Case No. D2000-1774 (February 26, 2001) (use of Nikon-related domain names to sell Nikon and competitive cameras was not a legitimate use); Kanao v. J.W. Roberts Co., Case No. 0109 (CPR July 25, 2001) (bait and switch is not legitimate). Also, concealing its identity by the Respondent while using the IQOS trademark further demonstrates bad faith. FINDING OF ABUSE or MATERIAL FALSEHOOD The Examiner may find that the Complaint was brought in an abuse of this proceeding or that it contained material falsehoods. The Examiner finds as follows:
DETERMINATION
After reviewing the parties submissions, the Examiner determines that the Complainant
has demonstrated all three elements of the URS by a standard of clear and convincing
evidence; the Examiner hereby Orders the following domain name(s) be SUSPENDED for
the duration of the registration:
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Natalia Stetsenko Examiner
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