State Farm Mutual Automobile
Insurance Company v. Eric White
Claim Number: FA1003001312056
PARTIES
Complainant is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance
Company (“Complainant”), represented
by Debra J. Monke, of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <statefarminsuranceclaims.com>,
registered with Melbourne It, Ltd. d/b/a Internet Names Worldwide.
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.
James A. Carmody, Esq., as Panelist.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum
electronically on March 8, 2010.
On March 9, 2010, Melbourne It, Ltd. d/b/a Internet Names Worldwide
confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <statefarminsuranceclaims.com>
domain name is registered with Melbourne It,
Ltd. d/b/a Internet Names Worldwide and that the Respondent is the
current registrant of the name. Melbourne It, Ltd. d/b/a Internet Names Worldwide
has verified that Respondent is bound by the Melbourne
It, Ltd. d/b/a Internet Names Worldwide 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 March 19, 2010, the Forum served the Complaint and all Annexes,
including a Written Notice of the Complaint, setting a deadline of April 8,
2010 by which Respondent could file a Response to the Complaint, via e-mail to
all entities and persons listed on Respondent’s registration as technical,
administrative, and billing contacts, and to
postmaster@statefarminsuranceclaims.com.
Also on March 19, 2010, the Written Notice of the Complaint, notifying
Respondent of the email addresses served and the deadline for a Response, was transmitted to Respondent via post and fax, to
all entities and persons listed on Respondent’s registration as technical,
administrative and billing contacts.
A timely Response was received and determined to be complete on April 8, 2010.
On April 19, 2010, pursuant to Complainant’s
request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National
Arbitration Forum appointed James A. Carmody, Esq., as Panelist.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent
to Complainant.
PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS
A. Complainant makes the following assertions:
1. Respondent’s <statefarminsuranceclaims.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s STATE FARM mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the domain name at issue.
3. Respondent registered and used the <statefarminsuranceclaims.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent submitted a Response consenting to transfer of the domain name at issue to Complainant.
FINDINGS
Preliminary Issue: Consent to Transfer
Respondent consents to transfer the <statefarminsuranceclaims.com> domain name to Complainant. However, after the initiation of this proceeding, Melbourne It, Ltd. d/b/a Internet Names Worldwide placed a hold on Respondent’s account and therefore Respondent cannot transfer the disputed domain name while this proceeding is still pending. As a result, the Panel finds that in a circumstance such as this, where 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 decides to forego the traditional UDRP analysis and order an immediate transfer of the <statefarminsuranceclaims.com> 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.”); see also 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
Having consented to the transfer of the disputed domain name, the Panel
concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <statefarminsuranceclaims.com> domain
name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
James A. Carmody, Esq., Panelist
Dated: April 30, 2010
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