Licorera Zacapaneca S.A. v. RegisterFly.com - Ref# 27417328 c/o Whois Protection Service - ProtectFly.com
Claim Number: FA0709001073899
Complainant is
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <rumzacapa.com>, registered with Enom, Inc.
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.
James A. Carmody, Esq., as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to
the National Arbitration Forum electronically on
On
On September 13, 2007, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of October 3, 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@rumzacapa.com 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 <rumzacapa.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s ZACAPA CENTENARIO mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <rumzacapa.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <rumzacapa.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Licorera Zacapaneca S.A., is in the business of producing, marketing, and selling distilled spirits, liquors, rum and prepared alcoholic drinks. Complainant holds a trademark registration for the ZACAPA CENTENARIO mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (Reg. No. 1,731,470 issued November 10, 1992). The English translation of the word “CENTENARIO” is “Centennial.”
Respondent’s <rumzacapa.com> domain name was registered on January 5, 2006 and currently resolves to a website featuring commercial search engines and sponsored links to third-parties, some of which offer products and service in direct competition with Complainant. Moreover, this website prominently displays that it is for sale.
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 has sufficiently established its rights in the ZACAPA CENTENARIO mark under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) through registration with the USPTO. See Innomed Techs., Inc. v. DRP Servs., FA 221171 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 18, 2004) (“Registration of the NASAL-AIRE mark with the USPTO establishes Complainant's rights in the mark.”); see also Janus Int’l Holding Co. v. Rademacher, D2002-0201 (WIPO Mar. 5, 2002) ("Panel decisions have held that registration of a mark is prima facie evidence of validity, which creates a rebuttable presumption that the mark is inherently distinctive.").
The term “CENTENARIO” translates in English to “Centennial,” which is descriptive, and Complainant claims no exclusive rights. Respondent’s <rumzacapa.com> domain name contains the dominant features of Complainant’s ZACAPA CENTENARIO mark. It also includes the generic descriptive term “rum” which is specifically what Complainant’s mark is registered for and the generic top level domain (“gTLD”) “.com.”
It is well established that the inclusion of generic
descriptive terms and a gTLD do not negate a finding of confusing
similarity. As such, the Panel finds
that Respondent’s <rumzacapa.com> domain name is confusingly
similar to Complainant’s ZACAPA CENTENARIO mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Desktop Media, Inc. v. Desktop Media, Inc., FA 96815 (Nat.
Arb. Forum Apr. 12, 2001) (“[F]or the limited purposes of the domain
name dispute resolution process[,] a low threshold of proof is all that is
required to meet the first element ….”); see also Rollerblade, Inc. v.
McCrady, D2000-0429 (WIPO June 25, 2000) (finding that the top level of the
domain name such as “.net” or “.com” does not affect the domain name for the
purpose of determining whether it is identical or confusingly similar); see also Space Imaging LLC v. Brownell, AF-0298 (eResolution Sept.
22, 2000) (finding confusing similarity where the respondent’s domain name
combines the complainant’s mark with a generic term that has an obvious
relationship to the complainant’s business).
The Panel concludes that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).
Under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii), Complainant must first make out a prima facie case that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. See TotalFinaElf E&P USA, Inc. v. Farnes, FA 117028 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 16, 2002) (“In order to bring a claim under the Policy, Complainant must first establish a prima facie case. Complainant’s [initial burden] is to provide proof of valid, subsisting rights in a mark that is similar or identical to the domain name in question.”). The Panel finds that Complainant has established a prima facie case and the burden is accordingly shifted to Respondent to prove that it has any rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. See G.D. Searle v. Martin Mktg., FA 118277 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 1, 2002) (“Because Complainant’s Submission constitutes a prima facie case under the Policy, the burden effectively shifts to Respondent.); see also Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web, D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (holding that once the complainant asserts that the respondent has no rights or legitimate interests with respect to the domain, the burden shifts to the respondent to provide “concrete evidence that it has rights to or legitimate interests in the domain name at issue”).
Respondent has not submitted a response to the
Complaint. The Panel thus presumes that
Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the <rumzacapa.com>
domain name, but will still consider all the available evidence in
consideration of the factors listed under Policy ¶ 4(c). See G.D. Searle v. Martin Mktg., FA
118277 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 1, 2002) (“Respondent’s failure to respond means
that Respondent has not presented any circumstances that would promote its
rights or legitimate interests in the subject domain name under Policy ¶
4(a)(ii).”); see also Am. Express Co. v. Fang Suhendro, FA 129120 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 30,
2002) (“[B]ased on Respondent's failure to respond, it is presumed that
Respondent lacks all rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain
name.”).
Respondent’s WHOIS information does not indicate
Respondent’s true identity, as it is concealed by a WHOIS identity protection
service. Nowhere else in the record does
it demonstrate that Respondent is or ever has been commonly known by the
disputed domain name.
Moreover, Respondent has not sought, nor has Complainant granted
permission for its mark to be used in such a way. Absent any affirmative evidence, the Panel
finds pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) that Respondent is
not commonly know by the <rumzacapa.com> domain name. 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).
Respondent’s <rumzacapa.com> domain name resolves to a website featuring a commercial search engine and sponsored links to third-parties, some of which offer products and service in direct competition with Complainant. It is presumed that Complainant financially benefits from such use. Moreover, this website prominently displays that it is for sale. The Panel finds that Respondent’s use of the disputed domain name is not in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or service pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use pursuant to 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); see also Mothers Against Drunk Driving v. Hyun-Jun Shin, FA 154098 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 27, 2003) (holding that under the circumstances, the respondent’s apparent willingness to dispose of its rights in the disputed domain name suggested that it lacked rights or legitimate interests in the domain name).
The Panel concludes that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).
The website that resolves from Respondent’s <rumzacapa.com>
domain name prominently displays that it is for sale. The Panel finds that this evinces that
Respondent registered and is using the disputed domain name in bad faith
pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(i). See CBS
Broad. Inc. v. Worldwide Webs, Inc., D2000-0834 (WIPO Sept. 4, 2000) (“There is nothing inherently
wrongful in the offer or sale of domain names, without more, such as to justify
a finding of bad faith under the Policy. However, the fact
that domain name registrants may legitimately and in good faith sell domain
names does not imply a right in such registrants to sell domain names that are
identical or confusingly similar to trademarks or service marks of others
without their consent”); see also Bank of Am. Corp. v. Nw. Free
Cmty. Access, FA 180704 (Nat.
Arb. Forum Sept. 30, 2003)
(“Respondent's general offer of the disputed domain name registration for sale
establishes that the domain name was registered in bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(i).”).
The Panel finds further evidence of Respondent’s bad faith
registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii) because the website that
resolves from the disputed domain name contains links to third-parties, some of
whom are competitors of Complainant. See EthnicGrocer.com, Inc. v.
Latingrocer.com, FA 94384 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 7, 2000) (finding
bad faith where the respondent’s sites pass users through to the respondent’s
competing business); see also Puckett,
Individually v. Miller, D2000-0297 (WIPO June 12, 2000) (finding that the
respondent has diverted business from the complainant to a competitor’s website
in violation of Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii)).
Lastly, it is presumed that Respondent is financially
benefiting through click-through fees by offering sponsored links and a
commercial search engine on the website that resolves from the disputed domain
name. Consequently, the Panel finds this
to be further evidence of Respondent’s bad faith registration and use of the <rumzacapa.com>
domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).
See Associated Newspapers Ltd. v. Domain Manager, FA 201976 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 19, 2003) (“Respondent's
prior use of the <mailonsunday.com> domain name is evidence of bad faith
pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv) because the domain name provided links to
Complainant's competitors and Respondent presumably commercially benefited from
the misleading domain name by receiving ‘click-through-fees.’”); see also Kmart v. Khan, FA
127708 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 22, 2002) (finding that if the respondent profits
from its diversionary use of the complainant's mark when the domain name
resolves to commercial websites and the respondent fails to contest the
complaint, it may be concluded that the respondent is using the domain name in
bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv)).
The Panel concludes that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii).
Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <rumzacapa.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
James A. Carmody, Esq., Panelist
Dated: October 17, 2007
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