Citigroup Inc. v. International Domain Names Inc.
Claim Number: FA0804001177515
Complainant is Citigroup Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Paul
D. McGrady, of Greenberg Traurig, LLP,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <citiassiststudentloans.com>, registered with Moniker Online Services, 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 April 11, 2008; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on April 14, 2008.
On April 23, 2008, Moniker Online Services, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name is registered with Moniker Online Services, Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Moniker Online Services, Inc. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Moniker Online Services, 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 April
30, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative
Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of May
20, 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@citiassiststudentloans.com
by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On May 28, 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 <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s CITIASSIST mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant provides a wide range of financial services to consumers and corporate customers, including student loans marketed under the CITIASSIST mark, which Complainant registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on March 31, 1998 (Reg. No. 2,147,766). Complainant has an active presence worldwide, with over 1,700 branches and 5,100 ATMs in approximately 100 countries.
Respondent registered the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name on May 16, 2006. The disputed domain name resolves to a website which features links promoting services, including student loans, offered by competitors of Complainant.
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.
The Panel finds that Complainant has established rights in
the CITIASSIST mark for purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) through its trademark
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 U.S. Office
of Pers. Mgmt. v. MS Tech. Inc., FA 198898
(Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 9, 2003) (“[O]nce the USPTO has made a determination that
a mark is registrable, by so issuing a registration, as indeed was the case
here, an ICANN panel is not empowered to nor should it disturb that determination.”).
Complainant contends that
Respondent’s <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name is confusingly similar to its CITIASSIST mark. The <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name differs from Complainant’s mark in two ways:
(1) the descriptive term “student loans” has been added to the end of the mark;
and (2) the generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) “.com” has been added. Adding a descriptive term that has an obvious
relation with a complainant’s business does not sufficiently distinguish the
domain name from a complainant’s mark; likewise, adding a gTLD does not reduce
or eliminate the likelihood of confusion, as all domain names must contain a
gTLD. Therefore, the Panel finds that
these changes do not minimize or eliminate the resulting likelihood of
confusion, and so Respondent’s disputed domain name is not sufficiently
distinguished from Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See
PG&E Corp. v. Anderson, D2000-1264 (WIPO Nov. 22, 2000)
(finding that “Respondent does not by adding the common descriptive or generic
terms ‘corp’, ‘corporation’ and ‘2000’ following ‘PGE’, create new or different
marks in which it has rights or legitimate interests, nor does it alter the
underlying [PG&E] mark held by Complainant”); 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); see also Gardline Surveys Ltd.
v. Domain Fin. Ltd., FA 153545 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 27, 2003) (“The
addition of a top-level domain is irrelevant when establishing whether or not a
mark is identical or confusingly similar, because top-level domains are a
required element of every domain name.”).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant contends that Respondent lacks all rights and legitimate interests in the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name. Under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii), after the complainant makes a prima facie case against the respondent, the respondent then has the burden of showing evidence that it does have rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. Complainant has made a prima facie case under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). 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 Woolworths plc. v. Anderson, D2000-1113 (WIPO Oct. 10, 2000) (finding that, absent evidence of preparation to use the domain name for a legitimate purpose, the burden of proof lies with the respondent to demonstrate that it has rights or legitimate interests).
Complainant contends that Respondent is not commonly known
by the <citiassiststudentloans.com>
domain name nor have they ever been the owner or licensee of the CITIASSIST mark. Respondent has been identified as “International Domain Names Inc.,” and nothing in
the WHOIS record for the disputed domain name lists Respondent as any variant
on CITIASSIST. Because of this evidence,
along with the fact that Respondent has failed to show any evidence contrary to
Complainant’s contentions, the Panel finds that Respondent is not commonly
known as <citiassiststudentloans.com>
pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See G.D.
Searle & Co. v. Cimock, FA 126829
(Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 13, 2003) (“Due to the fame of Complainant’s mark there must be strong
evidence that Respondent is commonly known by the disputed domain name in order
to find that Respondent has rights or legitimate interests in the disputed
domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii).
However, there is no evidence on record, and Respondent has not come
forward with any proof to establish that it is commonly known as CELEBREXRX or
<celebrexrx.com>.”); see also Am. Online, Inc.
v. World Photo Video & Imaging Corp., FA 109031 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 13, 2002) (finding that the respondent
was not commonly known by <aolcamera.com> or
<aolcameras.com> because the respondent
was doing business as “Sunset Camera” and “World Photo Video &
Imaging Corp.”).
Respondent maintains a website at the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name that features links promoting services offered by competitors of Complainant. The Panel finds that this use of the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name 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 Yahoo! Inc. v. Web Master, FA 127717 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 27, 2002) (finding that the respondent’s use of a confusingly similar domain name to operate a pay-per-click search engine, in competition with the complainant, was not a bona fide offering of goods or services); see also DLJ Long Term Inv. Corp. v. BargainDomainNames.com, FA 104580 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 9, 2002) (“Respondent is not using the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods and services because Respondent is using the domain name to divert Internet users to <visual.com>, where services that compete with Complainant are advertised.”).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Complainant contends that Respondent is using the disputed
domain name to divert Internet customers from Complainant’s website to
Respondent’s website that resolves from the disputed domain name, through the
confusion caused by the similarity between the CITIASSIST mark and the <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain
name. The Panel finds that Respondent’s
use of the disputed domain name disrupts Complainant’s business, and is
evidence of registration and use in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶
4(b)(iii).
Complainant also contends that Respondent is gaining commercially through this diversion, both through click-through fees and through the competing services that Respondent is offering. The Panel finds that this is an intentional use of the disputed domain name for commercial gain through a likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s mark, and so, pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv), this use is also evidence of registration and use in bad faith. 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 TM Acquisition Corp. v. Warren, FA 204147 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 8, 2003) (“Although Complainant’s principal website is <century21.com>, many Internet users are likely to use search engines to find Complainant’s website, only to be mislead to Respondent’s website at the <century21realty.biz> domain name, which features links for competing real estate websites. Therefore, it is likely that Internet users seeking Complainant’s website, but who end up at Respondent’s website, will be confused as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of Respondent’s website.”).
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 <citiassiststudentloans.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., Panelist
Dated: June 11, 2008
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