National Arbitration Forum

 

DECISION

 

Citigroup Inc. v. Domain Privacy LTD a/k/a DNS Admin

Claim Number: FA0911001295997

 

PARTIES

 

Complainant is Citigroup Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Paul D. McGrady, of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Illinois, USA.  Respondent is Domain Privacy LTD a/k/a DNS Admin (“Respondent”), Massachusetts, USA.

 

REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME

 

The domain name at issue is <citimortgage.net>, registered with Fabulous.com Pty Ltd.

 

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.

 

Bruce E. Meyerson as Panelist.

 

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

 

Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on November 23, 2009; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on November 25, 2009.

 

On November 24, 2009, Fabulous.com Pty Ltd. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <citimortgage.net> domain name is registered with Fabulous.com Pty Ltd. and that the Respondent is the current registrant of the name.  Fabulous.com Pty Ltd. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Fabulous.com Pty Ltd. 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 December 2, 2009, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the “Commencement Notification”), setting a deadline of December 22, 2009 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@citimortgage.net by e-mail.

 

A Response was received on December 9, 2009.  However because this Response was received not in hard copy the National Arbitration Forum does not consider this Response to be in compliance with ICANN Rule 5.   Nevertheless, because Respondent consents to the transfer of the domain name, the Response will be considered.

 

On December 16, 2009, pursuant to Complainant’s request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Bruce E. Meyerson as Panelist.

 

RELIEF SOUGHT

 

Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Respondent is a proxy service and is not the beneficial owner of the domain.  Its practice is to terminate service in response to a UDRP complaint and replace its information with the actual contact information of the domain holder.  But the registrar placed a hold on the account before the Respondent received notice of this proceeding.

 

The record reflects, however, a communication between the Respondent and the owner of the domain, Abadaba S.A., in which the Respondent asked the owner how it would like to respond to the Complaint.  Abadaba S.A. responded: “They can have that domain.  Go ahead and turn it over to them.” 

 

Accordingly, because the Respondent has not contested the transfer of the disputed domain name but instead agrees to transfer the domain name in question to Complainant, the Panel chooses to forego the traditional UDRP analysis and orders an immediate transfer of the <citimortgage.net> domain name.  See Boehringer Ingelheim Int’l GmbH v. Modern Ltd. – Cayman Web Dev., FA 133625 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 9, 2003) (transferring the domain name registration where the respondent stipulated to the transfer); see also Malev Hungarian Airlines, Ltd. v. Vertical Axis Inc., FA 212653 (Nat Arb. Forum Jan. 13, 2004) (“In this case, the parties have both asked for the domain name to be transferred to the Complainant . . . Since the requests of the parties in this case are identical, the Panel has no scope to do anything other than to recognize the common request, and it has no mandate to make findings of fact or of compliance (or not) with the Policy.”); Disney Enters., Inc. v. Morales, FA 475191 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 24, 2005) (“[U]nder such circumstances, where Respondent has agreed to comply with Complainant’s request, the Panel felt it to be expedient and judicial to forego the traditional UDRP analysis and order the transfer of the domain names.”).

 

DECISION

 

The Respondent having consented to the transfer of the domain name, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.

 

Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <citimortgage.net> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.

 

 

Bruce E. Meyerson, Panelist
Dated: December 28, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

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