Hercules Incorporated c/o Sandra D. Dobbs v. BWI Domain Manager c/o Domain Manager
Claim Number: FA0806001199010
Complainant is Hercules Incorporated c/o Sandra D.
Dobbs (“Complainant”),
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <soyad.com>, registered with Rebel.com Corp.
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.
Bruce E. Meyerson as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to
the National Arbitration Forum electronically on
On
On June
12, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative
Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of
July 2, 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@soyad.com by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On
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 <soyad.com> domain name is identical to Complainant’s SOYAD mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <soyad.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <soyad.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Hercules
Incorporated is a company which manufactures a soy-based adhesive product. Complainant markets this product under the
SOYAD mark, for which Complainant holds a trademark with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (Reg. No. 3,272,818 issued
Respondent registered the <soyad.com>
domain name on
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 demonstrated rights in
the SOYAD mark through its registration of the mark with the USPTO.
The Panel further determines that the <soyad.com> domain name is identical to Complainant’s SOYAD mark. The addition of the generic top-level domain “.com” is irrelevant to the Panel’s analysis, as all domain names must, by their very nature, contain a top-level domain. See Valeant Pharms. Int’l v. Carpela, D2005-0786 (WIPO Sept. 2, 2005) (concluding that the <cesamet.com> domain name was identical to the complainant’s CESAMET mark because the addition of the gTLD “.com” did not sufficiently distinguish the disputed domain name from the mark).
Thus, the Panel finds that Complainant has satisfied this portion of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).
Complainant contends that Respondent lacks all rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. Once Complainant makes a prima facie case in support of its allegations, the burden then shifts to Respondent to show it does have rights or legitimate interests pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). Because of the Respondent’s failure to respond to the Complaint, the Panel assumes that Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain names. G.D. Searle v. Martin Mktg., FA 118277 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 1, 2002) (holding that, where the complainant has asserted that respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests with respect to the domain name, it is incumbent on 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 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 does not have rights or legitimate interests is sufficient to shift the burden of proof to the respondent to demonstrate that such a right or legitimate interest does exist). However, the Panel will now examine the record to determine if Respondent has rights or legitimate interests pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c).
The WHOIS information for the <soyad.com> domain name indicates that the registrant of record is “BWI Domain Manager c/o Domain Manager,” which does not relate at all to the disputed domain name. Moreover, there is no indication that Complainant has authorized Respondent to use the SOYAD mark in any way. Thus, the Panel finds no evidence that Complainant is commonly known by the disputed domain name under Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). 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 interest 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).
Complainant has alleged that Respondent is using the <soyad.com> domain name to resolve to a website that displays hyperlinks to third-party websites. The Panel presumes that such use is in connection with the earning of click-through fees, and as such, does not qualify as 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 Summit Group, LLC v. LSO, Ltd., FA 758981 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 14, 2006) (finding that the respondent’s use of the complainant’s LIFESTYLE LOUNGE mark to redirect Internet users to the respondent’s own website for commercial gain does not constitute either a bona fide offering of goods or services pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i), or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii)); see also Disney Enters., Inc. v. Kamble, FA 918556 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 27, 2007) (holding that the operation of a pay-per-click website at a confusingly similar domain name was not 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)).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Respondent has been the respondent in previous UDRP cases in
which disputed domain names were transferred from Respondent to the respective
complainants in those cases. E.g., Choice Hotels Int’l v. BWI Domain
Manager, FA 1174416 (Nat. Arb. Forum
The Panel also determines that because the evidence
indicates that Respondent is using the <soyad.com> domain name to
commercially benefit through the apparent accrual of click-through fees,
Respondent has registered and used the disputed domain name in bad faith under
Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).
See 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).
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 <soyad.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Bruce E. Meyerson, Panelist
Dated: July 22, 2008
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