American Express Marketing & Development Corp. v. Andy Sirico
Claim Number: FA0809001226315
Complainant is American Express Marketing & Development Corp. (“Complainant”), represented by Dianne
K. Cahill, of American Express Marketing &
Development Corp.,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <amexalkelly.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 September 25, 2008; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on September 26, 2008.
On September 26, 2008, Godaddy.com, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <amexalkelly.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 October
2, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative
Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of
October 22, 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@amexalkelly.com by
e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On October 27, 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 <amexalkelly.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s AMEX mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <amexalkelly.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <amexalkelly.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant is a multi-national company doing business in the credit and travel-related services industries. Complainant markets many of its services under the AMEX mark, which complainant registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on July 14, 1981 (Reg. No. 1,161,278). Complainant’s President is named Al Kelly. Complainant began using its AMEX trademark in 1969, and now has over 86 million cardholders worldwide.
Respondent registered the <amexalkelly.com> domain name on February 18, 2008. The disputed domain name resolves to a website advertising the registrar’s services; Respondent has made no actual use of the disputed domain name.
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 AMEX 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 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.”).
Complainant contends that
Respondent’s <amexalkelly.com> domain name is confusingly similar to its AMEX mark. The <amexalkelly.com> domain name differs from Complainant’s mark in two ways:
(1) the name “al kelly” has been added to the end of the mark; and (2) the
generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) “.com” has been added. The addition of a proper noun, especially the
name of an individual already associated with a mark, certainly does not
sufficiently distinguish a domain name from an incorporated mark for the
purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See 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 Oki Data Ams., Inc. v. ASD, Inc.,
D2001-0903 (WIPO Nov. 6, 2001) (“[T]he fact that a domain name wholly
incorporates a Complainant’s registered mark is sufficient to establish
identity [sic] or confusing similarity for purposes of the Policy despite the
addition of other words to such marks”).
The addition of a gTLD also does not reduce
the likelihood of confusion between the domain name and the mark because every
domain name must contain a top-level domain.
See Nev. State Bank
v. Modern Ltd. – Cayman Web Dev., FA 204063 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 6, 2003)
(“It has been established that the addition of a generic top-level domain is
irrelevant when considering whether a domain name is identical or confusingly
similar under the Policy.”). Despite
these additions that Respondent has made to Complainant’s mark, the Panel finds
that Respondent’s disputed domain name is not sufficiently distinguished from
Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant contends that Respondent lacks all rights and legitimate interests in the <amexalkelly.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 or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. Complainant has made a prima facie case under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). See G.D. Searle v. Martin Mktg., FA 118277 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 1, 2002) (“Because Complainant’s Submission constitutes a prima facie case under the Policy, the burden effectively shifts to Respondent. Respondent’s failure to respond means that Respondent has not presented any circumstances that would promote its rights or legitimate interests in the subject domain name under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).”); see also Pavillion Agency, Inc. v. Greenhouse Agency Ltd., D2000-1221 (WIPO Dec. 4, 2000) (finding that the respondents’ failure to respond can be construed as an admission that they have no legitimate interest in the domain names); see also Broadcom Corp. v. Ibecom PLC, FA 361190 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 22, 2004) (“Respondent’s failure to respond to the Complaint functions as an implicit admission that [Respondent] lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. It also allows the Panel to accept all reasonable allegations set forth…as true.”).
Complainant contends that Respondent is not commonly known
by the <amexalkelly.com> domain
name nor has it ever been the owner or licensee of the AMEX mark. The WHOIS record for the disputed domain name
lists Respondent as “Andy Sirico.” Respondent has failed to show any evidence
contrary to Complainant’s contentions, and so, because Respondent has not been
identified by any variant on the AMEX mark, the Panel finds that Respondent is
not commonly known by the <amexalkelly.com> domain name pursuant
to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). 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 Am.
W. Airlines, Inc. v. Paik, FA 206396 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 22, 2003) (“Respondent
has registered the domain name under the name ‘Ilyoup Paik a/k/a David
Sanders.’ Given the WHOIS domain name
registration information, Respondent is not commonly known by the
[<awvacations.com>] domain name.”).
Respondent has made no demonstrable preparations to use the <amexalkelly.com> domain name; it currently resolves to a website advertising the registrar’s services. The failure to use a domain name for any purpose at all is evidence of a lack of rights and legitimate interests in a domain name. See Am. Online, Inc. v. Kloszewski, FA 204148 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 4, 2003) (“Respondent's failure to use the <aolfact.com> domain name for over six months is evidence that Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the domain name.”). The Panel finds that Respondent’s failure to use the disputed 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 Boeing Co. v. Bressi, D2000-1164 (WIPO Oct. 23, 2000) (finding no rights or legitimate interests where the respondent has advanced no basis on which the panel could conclude that it has a right or legitimate interest in the domain names, and no commercial use of the domain names has been established); see also Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web, D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (finding that when the respondent declares its intent to develop a website, “[Policy ¶] 4(c)(i) requires Respondent to show 1) ‘demonstrable’ evidence of such preparations to use the domain name, and 2) that such preparations were undertaken ‘before any notice to [Respondent] of the dispute’”).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Complainant contends that Respondent has intentionally used Complainant’s AMEX mark in the disputed domain name, and has failed to make any use of the disputed domain name. The failure to use a domain name in any way permits an inference of registration and use in bad faith. See Caravan Club v. Mrgsale, FA 95314 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 30, 2000) (finding that the respondent made no use of the domain name or website that connects with the domain name, and that failure to use a domain name permits an inference of registration and use in bad faith). Because the disputed domain name incorporates both Complainant’s AMEX mark and the personal name of Complainant’s President, and because this itself indicates bad faith by the Respondent, the Panel finds that Respondent’s failure to use the disputed domain name, when considered in light of the totality of the circumstances, is evidence of registration and use in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). See Clerical Med. Inv. Group Ltd. v. Clericalmedical.com, D2000-1228 (WIPO Nov. 28, 2000) (finding that merely holding an infringing domain name without active use can constitute use in bad faith); see also Telstra Corp. v. Nuclear Marshmallows, D2000-0003 (WIPO Feb. 18, 2000) (“[I]t is possible, in certain circumstances, for inactivity by the Respondent to amount to the domain name being used in bad faith.”).
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 <amexalkelly.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., Panelist
Dated: November 7, 2008
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