American Automobile Association, Inc. v.
Cambridge Capital Investment Ltd.
Claim Number: FA0207000116022
PARTIES
Complainant
is American Automobile Association, Inc.,
Heathrow, FL (“Complainant”) represented by Kristina Rosette, of Covington
& Burling. Respondent is Cambridge Capital Investment Ltd.,
Miami, FL (“Respondent”).
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The
domain name at issue is <triptik.com>,
registered with iHoldings.com, Inc.
PANEL
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.
The
Honorable Charles K. McCotter, Jr. (Ret.) as Panelist.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant
submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum (the “Forum”)
electronically on July 16, 2002; the Forum received a hard copy of the
Complaint on July 22, 2002.
On
July 17, 2002, iHoldings.com, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the
domain name <triptik.com> is
registered with iHoldings.com, Inc. and that Respondent is the current
registrant of the name. iHoldings.com,
Inc. has verified that Respondent is bound by the iHoldings.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
July 22, 2002, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative
Proceeding (the “Commencement Notification”), setting a deadline of August 12,
2002 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@triptik.com by e-mail.
Having
received no Response from Respondent, using the same contact details and
methods as were used for the Commencement Notification, the Forum transmitted
to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On
August 27, 2002, pursuant to Complainant’s request to have the dispute decided
by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed the Honorable Charles K.
McCotter, Jr. (Ret.) as Panelist.
Having
reviewed the communications records, the Administrative Panel (the “Panel”)
finds that the 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 Forum’s Supplemental Rules and any rules and
principles of law that the Panel deems applicable, without the benefit of any
Response from Respondent.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant
requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.
PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS
A. Complainant
1. Respondent’s <triptik.com> domain
name is identical to Complainant’s TRIPTIK registered mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or
legitimate interests in the <triptik.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and uses the <triptik.com>
domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in
this proceeding.
FINDINGS
Complainant is the owner of nine
registrations and one pending registration application for its TRIPTIK mark in
nine countries throughout the world. Respondent holds two registered trademarks
with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) reflecting the TRIPTIK
mark, including: Reg. No. 652,420 registered on October 1, 1957 and reflecting
the first use in commerce date as being 1932, and Reg. No. 656,930 registered
on January 7, 1958.
Complainant is a not-for-profit
corporation that represents one of the world’s premier travel clubs and
provides its 45 million members with a wide variety of travel and other
automobile-related services throughout the U.S., Canada and many European
countries. Complainant has used the TRIPTIK mark in connection with identifying
strip maps and other maps, such as maps of cities, and travel counseling
services since 1932. Complainant has also provided hotel and restaurant ratings
exclusively to its members for over 40 years.
Complainant has actively promoted maps,
travel counseling services, travel information, and routing directions under
its TRIPTIK mark. Complainant distributed over 11.3 million TRIPTIK maps and
routings in 2001 alone, and distributed over 5.3 million TRIPTIK routings
during the first five months of 2002. Complainant anticipates the Internet
accessibility of its TRIPTIK routings and maps will contribute to continued
increased distribution.
Complainant expends in excess of three
million dollars annually in marketing and advertising under its TRIPTIK mark,
which includes the dissemination of hundreds of thousands of pieces of
promotional literature displaying the TRIPTIK mark.
Complainant operates from the
<aaa.com> website, utilizing the acronym that represents its business
name, American Automobile Association. In 2001, Complainant’s <aaa.com>
website received over 925 million hits with almost 200 million page views, and
over 25 million visitor sessions.
As a result of the significant amount of
Internet traffic exposed to said mark and Complainant’s extensive efforts in advertising
its TRIPTIK mark to the consuming public, the TRIPTIK mark has become famous
throughout the U.S., and has acquired substantial goodwill as a mark
identifying Complainant’s travel information products and services.
Respondent registered the <triptik.com>
domain name on August 12, 2002. Complainant’s investigation reveals that
Respondent’s business entity, Cambridge Capital Investment Ltd., as registered
in Florida, is not registered with the Florida Department of State, Division of
Corporations. However, Complainant determined that Respondent’s WHOIS address
was identical to DomainCollection.com’s former address in Coral Gables,
Florida. Internet users who key in the subject domain name are immediately
confronted with a large banner that reads, “Domain For Sale at: Domain
Collection.com ‘Click Here’” with “DOMAIN 4 SALE: triptik.com” appearing
adjacent to the banner.
Complainant’s counsel conducted research
that indicates Respondent is identified as the registrant of 113,112 domain
names with the registrars CORE and Network Solutions. Respondent has also had
its rights in its domain name registrations challenged on at least seven
different occasions under the UDRP and STOP procedures.
DISCUSSION
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 the 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.
Paragraph
4(a) of the Policy requires that the 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 the
Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark
in which the Complainant has rights; and
(2) the 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
TRIPTIK mark through successfully registering the mark with various authorized
international authorities. Complainant has also extensively used the TRIPTIK
mark in identifying its travel services continuously since 1932, as indicated
by the USPTO.
Respondent’s <triptik.com> domain
name is identical to Complainant’s TRIPTIK mark. Respondent’s domain name
incorporates Complainant’s mark in its entirety, and only deviates with the
addition of the generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) “.com.” Because gTLDs are
required of domain name registrants, their addition is irrelevant when
conducting a Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) inquiry. See Pomellato S.p.A v. Tonetti, D2000-0493 (WIPO July 7, 2000) (finding
<pomellato.com> identical to Complainant’s mark because the generic
top-level domain (gTLD) “.com” after the name POMELLATO is not relevant); 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).
Accordingly, the Panel finds that Policy
¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Respondent has not submitted a Response
in this proceeding, thereby failing to contest Complainant’s allegations that
Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the subject
domain name. Because Respondent failed to submit a Response, the Panel is
permitted to make all reasonable inferences in favor of Complainant. See 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”); see also Charles Jourdan Holding AG v. AAIM, D2000-0403 (WIPO June 27, 2000)
(finding it appropriate for the Panel to draw adverse inferences from
Respondent’s failure to reply to the Complaint).
After Complainant satisfies its initial
burden of establishing a prima facie case regarding Policy ¶¶
4(a)(i)-(iii), the burden effectively shifts to Respondent. Respondent must
establish circumstances that demonstrate its rights or legitimate interests in
the <triptik.com> domain name. As stated, by not responding,
Respondent has failed to invoke any circumstances that could influence the
Panel to find in its favor. See Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web,
D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (finding that once Complainant asserts that
Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain, the
burden shifts to Respondent to provide credible evidence that substantiates its
claim of rights and legitimate interests in the domain name); see also Geocities v. Geociites.com, D2000-0326
(WIPO June 19, 2000) (finding that Respondent has no rights or legitimate
interest in the domain name because the Respondent never submitted a response
nor provided the Panel with evidence to suggest otherwise).
Complainant’s Submission provides the
Panel with unrefuted information that suggests Respondent registered the <triptik.com>
domain name to eventually transfer its rights in the domain name to
Complainant, or another interested entity. Respondent has not enunciated a
purpose for the domain name, outside of advertising the sale of the
registration on the attached website. Because Respondent’s primary motivation
in registering the domain name is to monetarily benefit from transferring its
rights, it suggests that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in
this particular domain name. Thus, Respondent’s use of <triptik.com> is
not in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services under Policy ¶
4(c)(i), nor is it in connection with a legitimate noncommercial or fair use
under Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii). See J.
Paul Getty Trust v. Domain 4 Sale & Co., FA 95262 (Nat. Arb. Forum
Sept. 7, 2000) (finding rights or legitimate interests do not exist when one
has made no use of the websites that are located at the domain names at issue,
other than to sell the domain names for profit); see also Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Stork,
D2000-0628 (WIPO Aug. 11, 2000) (finding Respondent’s conduct purporting to
sell the domain name suggests it has no legitimate use); see also Hewlett-Packard Co. v. High Perf. Networks,
Inc., FA 95083 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 31, 2000) (finding no rights or
legitimate interests where the Respondent registered the domain name with the
intention of selling it).
There is no information before the Panel
that suggests Respondent has a legitimate connection with the <triptik.com>
domain name, or that it is commonly known by it pursuant to Policy ¶
4(c)(ii). Complainant’s Submission provides evidence that indicates Respondent
has an affiliation with DomainCollection.com, an entity that specializes in the
transfer and sale of domain name registrations. Also, because Complainant has
utilized the TRIPTIK mark in connection with its travel related services since
1932, it is presumed that Respondent is not commonly known by a domain name
that is identical to Complainant’s TRIPTIK mark. See CBS Broad., Inc. v. LA-Twilight-Zone,
D2000-0397 (WIPO June 19, 2000) (finding that Respondent failed to demonstrate
any rights or legitimate interests in the <twilight-zone.net> domain name
since Complainant had been using the TWILIGHT ZONE mark since 1959); see also Gallup
Inc. v. Amish Country Store, FA 96209 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 23, 2001)
(finding that Respondent does not have rights in a domain name when Respondent
is not known by the mark).
Accordingly, the Panel finds that Policy
¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Uncontested information and circumstances
indicate that Respondent was aware of Complainant’s mark before seeking
registration of the infringing domain name. Complainant holds two registrations
for the TRIPTIK mark on the Principal Register of the USPTO, which constitutes
constructive notice for any party seeking to register an infringing variation
of the mark. Furthermore, Respondent’s motivation in registering the domain
name stems from its interest to sell the registration to an interested party.
Therefore, Respondent’s actions imply that it was aware of the value associated
with the <triptik.com> domain name. When considering the totality
of circumstances, Respondent’s registration of the domain name, despite
knowledge of Complainant’s preexisting rights in the TRIPTIK mark, indicates
bad faith registration under Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). See Do The Hustle, LLC v.
Tropic Web, D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (“the examples [of bad faith]
in Paragraph 4(b) are intended to be illustrative, rather than exclusive”); see
also Samsonite Corp. v. Colony Holding, FA 94313 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr.
17, 2000) (finding that evidence of bad faith includes actual or constructive
knowledge of a commonly known mark at the time of registration); see also Victoria’s Cyber Secret Ltd. P’ship v. V Secret Catalogue,
Inc., 161 F.Supp.2d 1339, 1349 (S.D.Fla.
2001) (noting that “a Principal Register registration [of a trademark or
service mark] is constructive notice of a claim of ownership so as to eliminate
any defense of good faith adoption” pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1072).
Respondent’s WHOIS
information, which correlates with DomainCollection.com’s listed address,
indicates that Respondent has no particular interest in the <triptik.com>
domain name except for the value associated with the mark shown in the
second-level domain. As stated in the Findings, Respondent’s contested domain
name resolves to a website that advertises the sale of the domain name
registration. Circumstances suggest that Respondent registered the domain name
primarily for the purpose of selling it or transferring its rights to
Complainant, or another interested buyer; thus, Respondent’s actions evidence
bad faith registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(i). See Pocatello Idaho Auditorium Dist. v. CES
Mktg. Group, Inc., FA
103186 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 21, 2002) ("[w]hat makes an offer to sell a
domain [name] bad faith is some accompanying evidence that the domain name was
registered because of its value that is in some way dependent on the trademark
of another, and then an offer to sell it to the trademark owner or a competitor
of the trademark owner"); see also Am. Anti-Vivisection Soc’y v. “Infa
dot Net” Web Serv., FA 95685
(Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 6, 2000) (finding that “general offers to sell the domain
name, even if no certain price is demanded, are evidence of bad faith”).
Complainant’s
counsel conducted a search of the SAEGIS database to identify all domain names
registered by Respondent in an effort to establish a pattern of bad faith conduct.
Complainant’s search disclosed that Respondent is identified as the registrant
in 113,122 domain names, as registered with the registrars CORE and Network
Solutions. Furthermore, Respondent is known to have had its domain name
registrations contested in seven UDRP and STOP proceedings, and was found to
have infringed on another’s trademark in each case (e.g., RARE Hospitality
Mgmt., Inc. v. Cambridge, FA 112431 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 5, 2002;
<rare.biz>), Am. Online, Inc. v. Cambridge, FA 110798 (Nat. Arb.
Forum June 4, 2002; <instantmessenger.biz>); and, Barrier Reef, Inc.
v. Cambridge, FA 112464 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 14, 2002;
<greatbarrierreef.biz>)). Therefore, the Panel determines that
Complainant has established that Respondent has previously engaged in bad faith
behavior of infringing on established trademarks, thereby satisfying Policy ¶
4(b)(ii)’s pattern prerequisite. See Armstrong Holdings, Inc. v.
JAZ Assoc., FA 95234
(Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 17, 2000) (finding that the Respondent violated Policy ¶
4(b)(ii) by registering multiple domain names, which infringe upon others’
famous and registered trademarks); see also Australian Stock Exch. v. Cmty. Internet (Australia), D2000-1384 (WIPO Nov. 30, 2000) (finding bad
faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(ii) where Respondent registered multiple infringing
domain names containing the trademarks or service marks of other widely
known Australian businesses).
Respondent’s <triptik.com> domain
name reflects Complainant’s TRIPTIK mark in its entirety, and it is conceivable
that Complainant may eventually desire to register its TRIPTIK mark in a
corresponding domain name. Therefore, Respondent’s actions constitute bad faith
pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(ii) because Respondent registered the domain name in
order to prevent Complainant from accurately depicting its TRIPTIK mark in a
domain name, and as stated, a pattern of bad faith conduct has been
established. See Am. Online, Inc.
v. iDomainNames.com, FA 93766 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 24, 2000) (finding a
bad faith pattern of conduct where Respondent registered many domain names
unrelated to its business which infringe on famous marks and websites); see
also Gamesville.com, Inc. v.
Zuccarini, FA 95294 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 30, 2000) (finding that
Respondent engaged in a pattern of conduct of registering domain names to
prevent the owner of the trademark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding
domain name, which is evidence of registration and use in bad faith).
The Panel determines that Policy ¶
4(a)(iii) has been satisfied.
DECISION
Having established all three elements
required under ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be hereby GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <triptik.com>
domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
The Honorable Charles K. McCotter, Jr.
(Ret.), Panelist
Dated: August 30, 2002
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