Gmask Private Limited
Company v. Vodkahong
Claim Number: FA0805001191662
PARTIES
Complainant is Gmask Private Limited Company (“Complainant”), represented by Jared
R. Johnson, of Green, Roberts, & Rasmussen PLLC,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <gmask.com>, registered with Godaddy.com,
Inc.
PANEL
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.
Honorable Paul A. Dorf (Ret.) as Panelist.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum
electronically on May 19, 2008; the
National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on May 22, 2008.
On May 20, 2008, Godaddy.com, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the
National Arbitration Forum that the <gmask.com> domain name is registered
with Godaddy.com, Inc. and that the
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 May 29, 2008, a Notification
of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the “Commencement
Notification”), setting a deadline of June 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@gmask.com by e-mail.
A timely Response was received and determined to be complete on June 16, 2008.
A timely Additional Submission from Complainant was received on June
18, 2008.
A timely Additional Submission from Respondent was received on June 25,
2008.
On June 20, 2008, pursuant to Complainant’s
request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National
Arbitration Forum appointed Honorable Paul A. Dorf (Ret.) as Panelist.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from
Respondent to Complainant.
PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS
A. Complainant
Complainant contends that the domain name at issue is identical or
confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark, that Respondent is not commonly
known by the domain name at issue and has no rights or legitimate interests in
the domain name at issue; that the Respondent is not making a legitimate
noncommercial or fair use of the domain name at issue; and that the Responent
registered the domain name at issue in bad faith.
B. Respondent
Respondent contends that the domain name at issue is not identical or
confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark; that Respondent has rights or
legitimate interests in the domain name at issue; and that the domain name was
not registered in bad faith.
C. Additional Submissions
The Complainant filed an additional submission regarding the identity
of the current registrant of the domain name at issue.
FINDINGS
Respondent in the instant case has been
identified by the registrar of the <gmask.com>
domain name as “gmask.com Private Registration.” The first individual, identified as “
DISCUSSION
Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain
Name Dispute Resolution Policy (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.”
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;
(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 used the GMASK mark in
connection with the promotion and sale of the “beauty wrap of products, namely
electronic gadgetry.” Complainant has
filed trademark applications for the GMASK mark with the Intellectual Property
Office of Singapore (Ser. No. T0804051J filed March 28, 2008) and the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (Ser. No. 77/444,823 filed April
10, 2008). See Artistic Pursuit LLC v.
calcuttawebdevelopers.com,
FA 894477 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 8, 2007) (finding that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) does
not require a trademark registration if a complainant can establish common law
rights in its mark); see also British Broad. Corp. v.
Renteria, D2000-0050 (WIPO Mar. 23, 2000)
(noting that the Policy “does not distinguish between registered and
unregistered trademarks and service marks in the context of abusive
registration of domain names” and applying the Policy to “unregistered
trademarks and service marks”).
The Complainant has demonstrated sufficient
common law rights in the GMASK mark for the purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) by demonstrating a sufficient secondary meaning for the
GMASK mark due to Complainant’s continuous and extensive use of the mark in
commerce. See Kahn Dev. Co. v. RealtyPROshop.com, FA
568350 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 23, 2006) (holding that the
complainant’s VILLAGE AT SANDHILL mark acquired secondary meaning among local
consumers sufficient to establish common law rights where the complainant had
been continuously and extensively promoting a real estate development under the
mark for several years); see also
Stellar Call Ctrs. Pty Ltd. v. Bahr, FA 595972 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec.
19, 2005) (finding that the complainant established common law rights in the
STELLAR CALL CENTRES mark because the complainant demonstrated that its mark
had acquired secondary meaning).
The domain name at issue contains
Complainant’s asserted mark in its entirety with the addition of the generic
top-level domain “.com.” Such a
modification is insufficient to differentiate the disputed domain name from
Complainant’s mark under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Pomellato S.p.A v. Tonetti,
D2000-0493 (WIPO July 7, 2000) (finding <pomellato.com> identical to the
complainant’s mark because the generic top-level domain (gTLD) “.com” after the
name POMELLATO is not relevant); see also Blue Sky Software Corp. v. Digital Sierra,
Inc., D2000-0165 (WIPO Apr. 27, 2000) (holding that the domain name
<robohelp.com> is identical to the complainant’s registered ROBOHELP
trademark, and that the "addition of .com is not a distinguishing
difference").
Respondent has presented no evidence that is
commonly known by the <gmask.com>
domain name. Further, there is no
evidence to indicate that Complainant has authorized Respondent to use its
GMASK mark in any way. See 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); see also 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").
Further, a review of the evidence presented
reveals that Respondent is using the <gmask.com>
domain name to operate a website that sells products in direct competition with
Complainant. The Panel may find that
such use 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 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v.
Power of Choice Holding Co.,
FA 621292 (Nat. Arb.
Forum Feb. 16, 2006) (finding that the respondent’s use of domain names
confusingly similar to the complainant’s WAL-MART mark to divert Internet users
seeking the complainant’s goods and services to websites competing with the
complainant did not constitute 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 Florists’
Transworld Delivery v. Malek, FA
676433 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 6, 2006) (holding that the respondent’s use of the
<ftdflowers4less.com> domain name to sell flowers in competition with the
complainant did not give rise to any legitimate interest in the domain name).
Respondent’s use of the <gmask.com> domain name to display a website that sells goods
that Complainant contends are in direct competition with Complainant is a
disruption of Complainant’s business and evinces bad faith registration and use
under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii). See Classic
Metal Roofs, LLC v. Interlock Indus., Ltd., FA
724554 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 1, 2006) (finding that the respondent
registered and used the <classicmetalroofing.com> domain name in bad
faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii) by redirecting Internet users to the
respondent’s competing website); see also
Jerie v. Burian, FA 795430 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 23,
2006) (concluding that the respondent registered and used the <sportlivescore.com>
domain name in order to disrupt the complainant’s business under the LIVESCORE
mark because the respondent was maintaining a website in direct competition
with the complainant).
It appears from the evidence presented that Respondent
is using the <gmask.com>
domain name in order to commercially gain from its use of the domain name at
issue by attempting to create a likelihood of confusion as to Complainant’s
source, sponsorship, affiliation and endorsement of the disputed domain name
and resulting website. See Dell
Inc. v. Innervision Web Solutions, FA 445601 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 23, 2005) (finding evidence of bad
faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv) where the respondent was using the
<dellcomputerssuck.com> domain name to divert Internet users to respondent’s
website offering competing computer products and services); see also 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.”).
DECISION
Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy,
the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <gmask.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED
from Respondent to Complainant.
Honorable Paul A. Dorf (Ret.), Panelist
Dated: July 4, 2008
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