Citigroup Inc. and Citigroup Foundation v. ITpreneurs
Claim Number: FA0801001139800
Complainant is Citigroup Inc. and Citigroup Foundation (collectively,
“Complainant”), represented by Paul D. McGrady, of Greenberg Traurig, LLP,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <citifoundation.org>, registered with Melbourne IT Ltd..
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.
Honorable Karl V. Fink (Ret.), as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on January 23, 2008; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on January 24, 2008.
On January 23, 2008, Melbourne IT Ltd. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <citifoundation.org> domain name is registered with Melbourne IT Ltd. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Melbourne IT Ltd. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Melbourne IT Ltd. 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 28, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of February 18, 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@citifoundation.org by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On February 24, 2008, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Honorable Karl V. Fink (Ret.), as Panelist.
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 <citifoundation.org> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s CITI mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <citifoundation.org> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <citifoundation.org> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Citigroup Inc. and its licensee, Citigroup Foundation (collectively, “Complainant”), provides a broad range of financial services to individual and corporate consumers. Complainant registered its CITI mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on December 8, 1981 (Reg. No. 1,181,467). Complainant uses the CITI mark and has provided philanthropic services since 1998. These services include collecting charitable donations and distributing foundation grants.
Respondent registered the disputed domain name on March 20, 2003. Respondent’s <citifoundation.org> domain name resolves to a parked website which displays links to third party websites which directly compete with Complainant’s philanthropic activities and financial services activities. Some of these links are entitled: “Car Donations,” “Foundation,” “Grants,” Non Profit Organization,” and “Business Loan.”
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 registered its CITI mark with the USPTO on December 8, 1981. Complainant has used its CITI mark in connection with its financial services since 1981 and its philanthropic activities since 1998. The Panel finds Complainant’s registration of its CITI mark with the USPTO and its use in connection with its business and philanthropic activities is sufficient to establish its rights in the mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). 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 United States Patent and Trademark Office. This registration sufficiently establishes Complainant’s rights in the mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).”); see also Men’s Wearhouse, Inc. v. Wick, FA 117861 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 16, 2002) (“Under U.S. trademark law, registered marks hold a presumption that they are inherently distinctive [or] have acquired secondary meaning.”).
Respondent’s <citifoundation.org> domain name fully incorporates Complainant’s mark with the addition of the descriptive word “foundation,” that Complainant uses in connection with its philanthropic activities. In addition, the generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) “.org” is not relevant in evaluating whether a disputed domain name is confusingly similar to a mark. Therefore, the Panel finds Respondent’s disputed domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Parfums Christian Dior v. 1 Netpower, Inc., D2000-0022 (WIPO Mar. 3, 2000) (finding that four domain names that added the descriptive words "fashion" or "cosmetics" after the trademark were confusingly similar to the trademark); see also Brown & Bigelow, Inc. v. Rodela, FA 96466 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 5, 2001) (finding that the <hoylecasino.net> domain name is confusingly similar to the complainant’s HOYLE mark, and that the addition of “casino,” a generic word describing the type of business in which the complainant is engaged, does not take the disputed domain name out of the realm of confusing similarity); see also Busy Body, Inc. v. Fitness Outlet Inc., D2000-0127 (WIPO Apr. 22, 2000) ("[T]he addition of the generic top-level domain (gTLD) name ‘.com’ is . . . without legal significance since use of a gTLD is required of domain name registrants . . . .").
The Panel finds Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant has asserted Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. After Complainant presents a prima facie case in support of these assertions, the burden shifts to Respondent to establish that it does have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). The Panel finds Complainant established a prima facie case to support its assertions and Respondent failed to submit a response to the case. Therefore, the Panel may assume Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. The Panel, however, will inspect the record and determine whether Respondent has rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c). 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 Compagnie Generale des Matieres Nucleaires v. Greenpeace Int’l, D2001-0376 (WIPO May 14, 2001) (“Proving that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Domain Name requires the Complainant to prove a negative. For the purposes of this sub paragraph, however, it is sufficient for the Complainant to show a prima facie case and the burden of proof is then shifted on to the shoulders of Respondent. In those circumstances, the common approach is for respondents to seek to bring themselves within one of the examples of paragraph 4(c) or put forward some other reason why they can fairly be said to have a relevant right or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name in question.”).
Respondent’s <citifoundation.org> domain name resolves to a parked website. This parked website displays links to third-party websites offering products and services that directly compete with Complainant’s financial business and philanthropic activities. Respondent presumably receives compensation for displaying these links through click-through fees. The Panel finds this diversionary use is not a use in connection with a bona fide offering of goods pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i), or a noncommercial or fair use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii). See Lockheed Martin Corp. v. Extraordinary Things LLC, FA 1117826 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 23, 2008) (“Respondent’s…domain names all resolve to parked websites featuring links to third-party venture capital and financial websites that offer services in competition with Complainant, and Respondent accrues click-through fees from these links. The Panel finds that such use does not constitute either 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 also Pioneer Hi-Bred Int’l Inc. v. Chan, FA 154119 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 12, 2003) (finding that the respondent did not have rights or legitimate interests in a domain name that used the complainant’s mark and redirected Internet users to a website that pays domain name registrants for referring those users to its search engine and pop-up advertisements).
In addition, the Panel finds Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) because Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name. There is no evidence in the record or WHOIS information indicating Respondent is known by the <citifoundation.org> domain name. In addition, the record indicates Complainant has not given Respondent authorization to use its CITI mark. See RMO, Inc. v. Burbridge, FA 96949 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 16, 2001) (interpreting Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) "to require a showing that one has been commonly known by the domain name prior to registration of the domain name to prevail"); see also Compagnie de Saint Gobain v. Com-Union Corp., D2000-0020 (WIPO Mar. 14, 2000) (finding no rights or legitimate interests 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).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Respondent is using the
confusingly similar <citifoundation.org>
domain name to display a parked website containing links to third-party
websites offering financial and philanthropic services that directly compete
with Complainant. Respondent presumably
receives click-through fees for displaying links on this parked website. The Panel finds this is an attempt by
Respondent to profit from the goodwill associated with Complainant’s CITI mark
and constitutes registration and use in bad faith 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 Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc. v. Lalli, FA 95284 (Nat. Arb. Forum
Aug. 21, 2000) (finding bad faith where the respondent directed Internet users
seeking the complainant’s site to its own website for commercial gain).
In addition, Respondent’s disputed domain name resolves to a website containing links to third-party websites that directly compete with Complainant’s services and activities. The Panel finds such use constitutes disruption and is evidence of bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii). See Disney Enters., Inc. v. Noel, FA 198805 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 11, 2003) (“Respondent registered a domain name confusingly similar to Complainant's mark to divert Internet users to a competitor's website. It is a reasonable inference that Respondent's purpose of registration and use was to either disrupt or create confusion for Complainant's business in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶¶ 4(b)(iii) [and] (iv).”); see also H-D Michigan Inc. v. Buell, FA 1106640 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 2, 2008) (“The disputed domain names resolve to websites that list links to competitors of Complainant, evidence that Respondent intends to disrupt Complainant’s business, a further indication of bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii).”).
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 <citifoundation.org> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Honorable Karl V. Fink (Ret.), Panelist
Dated: March 6, 2008
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