Pedinol Pharmacal, Inc. v. Johnny Carpela
Claim Number: FA0802001144174
Complainant is Pedinol Pharmacal, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Charles
W. Hanor, of Hanor, Lively, Cernyar, & Saba, PLLC,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <lactinol.com>, registered with Godaddy.com, Inc.
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 Panelist in this proceeding.
Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on February 13, 2008; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on February 13, 2008.
On February 13, 2008, Godaddy.com, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <lactinol.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 February 15, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of March 6, 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@lactinol.com by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On March 16, 2008, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., 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 <lactinol.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s LACTINOL-E mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <lactinol.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <lactinol.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Pedinol
Pharmacal, Inc., is a well-known pharmaceutical company specializing in the
development, distribution, sales, and promotion of pharmaceutical products for
the treatment of podiatry problems and other ailments. One of Complainant’s well-known podiatary
products is “Lactinol.” Complainant owns
trademark registrations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
(“USPTO”) for the LACTINOL-E mark (Reg. No. 1,688,680 issued May 26, 1992).
Respondent registered the <lactinol.com> domain name on March 6, 2008. Respondent’s disputed domain name resolves to a website that affiliates itself with Complainant and provides online pharmacy advertisements.
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 established rights in the LACTINOL-E mark through registration of the mark with the USPTO pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Vivendi Universal Games v. XBNetVentures Inc., FA 198803 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 11, 2003) (“Complainant's federal trademark registrations establish Complainant's rights in the BLIZZARD mark.”); 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 <lactinol.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark. Respondent’s disputed domain name contains the dominant feature of Complainant’s LACTINOL-E mark but omits the hyphen and the letter “e.” The Panel finds that these minor distinctions are not sufficient to properly distinguish Respondent’s domain name from Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. v. Club Car Executive Transp., D2000-0611 (WIPO Sept. 18, 2000) (finding that removing a hyphen in the domain names is not sufficient to differentiate the domain names from the mark); see also Albertson’s, Inc. v. Bennett, FA 117013 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 5, 2002) (“[T]he absence of a space and the hyphen between the words of the mark are not changes that are capable of overcoming a Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) identical analysis.”); see also Universal City Studios, Inc. v. HarperStephens, D2000-0716 (WIPO Sept. 5, 2000) (finding that deleting the letter “s” from the complainant’s UNIVERSAL STUDIOS STORE mark did not change the overall impression of the mark and thus made the disputed domain name confusingly similar to it).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i)
has been satisfied.
Complainant contends that Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests in the <lactinol.com> domain name. The Panel finds that these assertions and accompanying evidence establishes a prima facie case, shifting the burden of production from Complainant to Respondent to set forth evidence of rights and legitimate interests under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). See 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 is using the <lactinol.com>
domain name to operate a website that affiliates itself with Complainant and
provides online pharmacy advertisements.
The Panel finds that Complainant has never authorized such an
affiliation and that Respondent is likely trying to capitalize on this by
collecting click-through fees for each misdirected Internet user following the
online pharmacy advertisements featured on the resulting website. This is neither a bona fide offering of goods or services under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use under Policy
¶ 4(c)(iii). See 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 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).
Respondent has also failed to show that it is commonly known by the <lactinol.com> domain name or authorized to register domain names featuring Complainant’s LACTINOL-E mark or any derivation thereof. Without evidence suggesting otherwise, the Panel finds that Respondent is not commonly known by the <lactinol.com> domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See Ian Schrager Hotels, L.L.C. v. Taylor, FA 173369 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 25, 2003) (finding that without demonstrable evidence to support the assertion that a respondent is commonly known by a domain name, the assertion must be rejected); see also Charles Jourdan Holding AG v. AAIM, D2000-0403 (WIPO June 27, 2000) (finding no rights or legitimate interests where (1) the respondent is not a licensee of the complainant; (2) the complainant’s prior rights in the domain name precede the respondent’s registration; (3) the respondent is not commonly known by the domain name in question).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii)
has been satisfied.
Complainant contends that Respondent is using the <lactinol.com> domain name to wrongfully affiliate itself with Complainant’s business and to provide advertisements to various online pharmacies. The Panel finds that this use is aimed at disrupting Complainant’s business and is evidence of bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii). See S. Exposure v. S. Exposure, Inc., FA 94864 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 18, 2000) (finding the respondent acted in bad faith by attracting Internet users to a website that competes with the complainant’s business); see also EBAY, Inc. v. MEOdesigns, D2000-1368 (WIPO Dec. 15, 2000) (finding that the respondent registered and used the domain name <eebay.com> in bad faith where the respondent has used the domain name to promote competing auction sites).
Furthermore, Internet users that find themselves at Respondent’s <lactinol.com> domain name and resulting website will likely cause confusion as to Complainant’s affiliation with the website. Not only is Respondent intending to cause such confusion but it is also benefiting from this confusion by placing advertisements on the website for various online pharmacies. Such use is further evidence of 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 Hancock Fabrics, Inc. v. Active Advantage, Inc., FA 204111 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 4, 2003) (“Respondent’s use of the <hancockfabric.com> domain name, a domain name confusingly similar to Complainant’s HANCOCK FABRICS mark, to redirect Internet traffic to a website that provides a selection of jokes demonstrates Respondent’ bad faith use of the disputed domain name because Respondent has created a likelihood of confusion as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of Respondent’s website, which evidences bad faith registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).”).
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 <lactinol.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., Panelist
Dated: March 31, 2008
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