West Pharmaceuticals Services Inc. v. Marketing Total S.A.
Claim Number: FA0706001009010
Complainant is West Pharmaceuticals Services Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Hal
E. Borden, of Dechert LLP, Cira Centre,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <westpharma.net>, registered with Capitoldomains, LLC.
The undersigned certifies that he has acted independently and impartially and to the best of his knowledge has no known conflict in serving as Panelist in this proceeding.
Judge Ralph Yachnin as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to
the National Arbitration Forum electronically on
On
On June 22, 2007, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of July 12, 2007 by which Respondent could file a response to the Complaint, was transmitted to Respondent via e-mail, post and fax, to all entities and persons listed on Respondent's registration as technical, administrative and billing contacts, and to postmaster@westpharma.net by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On
Having reviewed the communications records, the Administrative Panel (the "Panel") finds that the National Arbitration Forum has discharged its responsibility under Paragraph 2(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules") "to employ reasonably available means calculated to achieve actual notice to Respondent." Therefore, the Panel may issue its decision based on the documents submitted and in accordance with the ICANN Policy, ICANN Rules, the National Arbitration Forum's Supplemental Rules and any rules and principles of law that the Panel deems applicable, without the benefit of any response from Respondent.
Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.
A. Complainant makes the following assertions:
1. Respondent’s
<westpharma.net> domain name
is identical to Complainant’s
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <westpharma.net> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <westpharma.net> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, West Pharmaceutical Services Inc., is a
worldwide manufacturer of components and systems for drug delivery, including
components used in vials, syringes, intravenous, and blood collection
systems. Complainant has conducted
business under the
Respondent registered the <westpharma.net> domain name on
Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules instructs this Panel to "decide a complaint on the basis of the statements and documents submitted in accordance with the Policy, these Rules and any rules and principles of law that it deems applicable."
In view of Respondent's failure to submit a response, the Panel shall decide this administrative proceeding on the basis of Complainant's undisputed representations pursuant to paragraphs 5(e), 14(a) and 15(a) of the Rules and draw such inferences it considers appropriate pursuant to paragraph 14(b) of the Rules. The Panel is entitled to accept all reasonable allegations and inferences set forth in the Complaint as true unless the evidence is clearly contradictory. See Vertical Solutions Mgmt., Inc. v. webnet-marketing, inc., FA 95095 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 31, 2000) (holding that the respondent’s failure to respond allows all reasonable inferences of fact in the allegations of the complaint to be deemed true); see also Talk City, Inc. v. Robertson, D2000-0009 (WIPO Feb. 29, 2000) (“In the absence of a response, it is appropriate to accept as true all allegations of the Complaint.”).
Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy requires that Complainant must prove each of the following three elements to obtain an order that a domain name should be cancelled or transferred:
(1) the domain name registered by Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which Complainant has rights; and
(2) Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
(3) the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
Complainant’s registration of the WEST PHARMA mark with
Respondent’s <westpharma.net>
domain name is identical to Complainant’s
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii), Complainant has the initial burden of proving that Respondent lacks rights or legitimate interests in the <westpharma.net> domain name. Once Complainant has made a prima facie case, however, the burden shifts to Respondent to prove that it does have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. In the instant case, the Panel finds that Complainant has established a prima facie case. See Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web, D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (holding that, where the complainant has asserted that the respondent has no rights or legitimate interests with respect to the domain name, it is incumbent on the respondent to come forward with concrete evidence rebutting this assertion because this information is “uniquely within the knowledge and control of the respondent”); see also Clerical Med. Inv. Group Ltd. v. Clericalmedical.com, D2000-1228 (WIPO Nov. 28, 2000) (finding that, under certain circumstances, the mere assertion by the complainant that the respondent has no right or legitimate interest is sufficient to shift the burden of proof to the respondent to demonstrate that such a right or legitimate interest does exist).
Respondent’s failure to respond to the Complaint raises the
presumption that Respondent lacks rights or legitimate interests in the
disputed domain name. See Broadcom
Corp. v. Ibecom PLC, FA 361190 (Nat. Arb. Forum
There is nothing in the record to suggest, and Respondent’s WHOIS information does not indicate, that Respondent is commonly known by the <westpharma.net> domain name. Furthermore, Respondent is not licensed or authorized to use the disputed domain name for any purpose. Thus, the Panel finds that Respondent lacks rights or legitimate interests under Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See Tercent Inc. v. Lee Yi, FA 139720 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 10, 2003) (stating “nothing in Respondent’s WHOIS information implies that Respondent is ‘commonly known by’ the disputed domain name” as one factor in determining that Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) does not apply); see also Compagnie de Saint Gobain v. Com-Union Corp., D2000-0020 (WIPO Mar. 14, 2000) (finding no rights or legitimate interest where the respondent was not commonly known by the mark and never applied for a license or permission from the complainant to use the trademarked name).
Furthermore, Respondent’s <westpharma.net> domain name resolves to a website displaying links to various third-party websites in direct competition with Complainant. The Panel presumes that Respondent accrues click-through fees when Internet users click on these links. This does not qualify as a bona fide offering of goods or services under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use under Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii). See WeddingChannel.com Inc. v. Vasiliev, FA 156716 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 12, 2003) (finding that the respondent’s use of the disputed domain name to redirect Internet users to websites unrelated to the complainant’s mark, websites where the respondent presumably receives a referral fee for each misdirected Internet user, was not a bona fide offering of goods or services as contemplated by the Policy); see also Black & Decker Corp. v. Clinical Evaluations, FA 112629 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 24, 2002) (holding that the respondent’s use of the disputed domain name to redirect Internet users to commercial websites, unrelated to the complainant and presumably with the purpose of earning a commission or pay-per-click referral fee did not evidence rights or legitimate interests in the domain name).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Respondent is using the <westpharma.net>
domain name to redirect Internet users to a website featuring links to
third-party websites offering pharmaceutical goods and services in direct
competition with Complainant. This
constitutes a disruption of Complainant’s business and qualifies as bad faith
registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii).
See Disney Enters., Inc. v. Noel, FA 198805 (Nat. Arb. Forum
The Panel presumes that Respondent benefits commercially
from click-through fees when Internet users click on the links featured on the
website that resolves from the <westpharma.net>
domain name. Respondent is thus
taking advantage of the likelihood that users will confuse the source of the
disputed domain name as being affiliated with Complainant. This is additional evidence that Respondent
registered and is using the disputed domain name in bad faith under Policy ¶
4(b)(iv). See Computerized Sec. Sys.,
Inc. v. Hu, FA 157321 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 23, 2003) (finding that
the respondent’s use of the <saflock.com> domain name to offer goods
competing with the complainant’s illustrates the respondent’s bad faith
registration and use of the domain name, evidence of bad faith registration and
use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv)); see
also TM Acquisition Corp. v. Carroll, FA 97035 (Nat. Arb. Forum
Furthermore, Respondent has been the respondent in several
previous UDRP decisions in which the disputed domain names in those cases were
transferred from Respondent to the respective complainants. See
Sico Inc. v. Mktg. Total S.A., FA
949597 (Nat. Arb. Forum
The Panel finds that Policy ¶
4(a)(iii) has been satisfied.
Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <westpharma.net> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Hon. Ralph Yachnin, Panelist
Justice, Supreme Court, NY (Ret.)
Dated: July 30, 2007
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