Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Johnny Carpela
Claim Number: FA0801001126024
Complainant is Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Maury
M. Tepper, of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <proctocort.com>, registered with Godaddy.com, 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.
Terry F. Peppard as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on January 3, 2008; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on January 4, 2008.
On January 3, 2008, Godaddy.com, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <proctocort.com> domain name is registered with Godaddy.com, Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Godaddy.com, Inc. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Godaddy.com, Inc. registration agreement and has thereby agreed to resolve domain-name disputes brought by third parties in accordance with ICANN's Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy").
On January 8, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of January 28, 2008 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@proctocort.com by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On February 4, 2008, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Terry F. Peppard as sole Panelist in this proceeding.
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:
Complainant is a specialty pharmaceutical company, which manufactures suppositories and other products for the treatment of gastrointestinal disease.
Since 1973, Complainant has operated under the PROCTOCORT trademark, which was registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (Reg. No. 2,132,640, issued January 27, 1998).
Complainant also owns and operates the <salix.com> domain name in conjunction with its product promotion.
Respondent registered the <proctocort.com> domain name on February 26, 2002.
Respondent uses the disputed domain name to resolve to a website that features information about Complainant’s PROCTOCORT product, as well as links to Complainant’s competitors, including third-party pharmacy websites.
Respondent’s <proctocort.com> domain name is substantively identical to Complainant’s PROCTOCORT mark.
Respondent does not have any rights to or legitimate interests in the <proctocort.com> domain name.
Respondent registered and uses the <proctocort.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
(1) the domain name registered by Respondent is identical to a trademark in which Complainant has rights; and
(2) Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
(3) the same domain name was registered and is being used in bad faith.
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 a 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:
i. the domain name registered by Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which Complainant has rights; and
ii. Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
iii. the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
Complainant has established sufficient rights in the
PROCTOCORT mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) through
registration of the mark with the USPTO.
See
Expedia,
Inc. v. Inertia 3D, FA 1118154 (Nat.
Arb. Forum Jan. 18, 2008):
Complainant asserts rights
in the mark through its registration of the mark with the
Respondent has incorporated Complainant’s entire PROCTOCORT mark in the <proctocort.com> domain name, while merely adding the generic top-level domain “.com.” The addition of a top-level domain is irrelevant for the purposes of a Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) analysis. Therefore, the disputed domain name is substantively identical to Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Blue Sky Software Corp. v. Digital Sierra, Inc., D2000-0165 (WIPO Apr. 27, 2000) (holding that the domain name <robohelp.com> is identical to a complainant’s registered ROBOHELP trademark, and that the "addition of .com is not a distinguishing difference"); see also Isleworth Land Co. v. Lost in Space, SA, FA 117330 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 27, 2002):
[I]t
is a well established principle that generic top-level domains are irrelevant
when conducting a Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) analysis.
The Panel therefore finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant asserts that Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the <proctocort.com> domain name. Once Complainant has established a prima facie case supporting its allegations, the burden shifts to Respondent to prove that it does have rights or legitimate interests pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). See Clerical Med. Inv. Group Ltd. v. Clericalmedical.com, D2000-1228 (WIPO Nov. 28, 2000) (finding that, under appropriate circumstances, the assertion by a complainant that a respondent has no right to or legitimate interest in a disputed domain name is sufficient to shift the burden of proof to that respondent to demonstrate that such a right or legitimate interest nonetheless does exist); see also Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web, D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (holding that once a complainant asserts that a respondent has no rights to or legitimate interests with respect to a domain name, the burden shifts to that respondent to provide “concrete evidence that it has rights to or legitimate interests in the domain name at issue”).
We note that Complainant alleges, and Respondent does not
deny, that Respondent uses the disputed domain name to resolve to a website
that features links to Complainant’s competitors. Respondent presumably receives click-through referral
fees from the advertisers listed on Respondent’s website. Respondent’s use of the disputed domain name in
this fashion fails to support an inference of a bona fide offering of goods or services pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i), or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use pursuant to
Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii). See Bank of Am. Corp. v. Nw. Free Cmty. Access, FA 180704 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 30, 2003):
Respondent's demonstrated intent to divert Internet users
seeking Complainant's website to a website of Respondent and for Respondent's
benefit is not a bona fide offering of goods or services under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) and it is not a legitimate noncommercial or fair use
under Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii).
See also Toronto-Dominion Bank v.
Karpachev, 188 F.Supp.2d 110, 114
(D. Mass. 2002) (finding that, because a respondent's purpose in selecting
domain names was to cause confusion with a complainant's website and marks, its
use of the names was not in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services or any other fair use).
Also, Respondent offers no
evidence, and there is no evidence in the record, including the pertinent WHOIS
domain name registration information, to permit a conclusion that it is
commonly known by the <proctocort.com>
domain name. Moreover, Respondent
alleges no license to use Complainant’s PROCTOCORT mark. Therefore, we conclude that Respondent lacks
rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy
¶ 4(c)(ii). See Gallup, Inc. v. Amish
Country Store, FA 96209 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 23, 2001) (finding
that a respondent does not have rights in a domain name when that respondent is
not known by the mark); see also
Compagnie de Saint Gobain v. Com-Union Corp., D2000-0020 (WIPO Mar. 14,
2000) (finding no rights or legitimate interest where a respondent was not
commonly known by a mark and never applied for a license or permission from a
complainant to use a trademarked name); further see Wells Fargo &
Co. v. Onlyne Corp. Services11, Inc., FA
198969 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 17, 2003): “Given the WHOIS contact information
for the disputed domain [name], one can infer that Respondent, Onlyne Corporate
Services11, is not commonly known by the name ‘welsfargo’ in any derivation.”
The Panel thus finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii)
has been satisfied.
We have already concluded that Respondent’s <proctocort.com> domain name resolves
to a website that features links to Complainant’s competitors. It is probable that Internet users seeking Complainant’s
product would mistakenly be directed to Respondent’s website, given the disputed
domain name’s close identity with Complainant’s mark. Therefore, Respondent has created a strong
likelihood of confusion regarding the possible source, affiliation or
endorsement of the disputed domain name and its corresponding website. Should
Internet users follow these links, Respondent presumably would receive referral
fees from featured advertisers. We
therefore conclude that Respondent has engaged in bad faith registration and
use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv). See Am. Univ. v.
Cook, FA 208629 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 22,
2003):
Registration and use of a domain name that incorporates
another's mark with the intent to deceive Internet users in regard to the
source or affiliation of the domain name is evidence of bad faith.
See also 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.’”
In addition, it appears that Respondent registered the <proctocort.com> domain name
with at least constructive knowledge of Complainant’s rights in the PROTOCORT
trademark by virtue of Complainant’s prior registration of that mark with the
United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Registration of a confusingly similar domain name despite such
constructive knowledge is, without more, evidence of bad faith registration and
use of the domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). See Digi
Int’l v. DDI Sys.,
FA 124506 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 24, 2002); see also Orange Glo Int’l v. Blume, FA 118313 (Nat. Arb.
Forum Oct. 4, 2002).
For these reasons, the Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii) has been satisfied.
Complainant having established all three elements required to be proven under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that the relief requested must be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <proctocort.com> domain name be forthwith TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Terry F. Peppard, Panelist
Dated: February 11, 2008
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