Claim Number: FA0708001064478
Complainant is
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <downysavings.com>, registered with Moniker Online Services, 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.
Sandra J. Franklin as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to
the National Arbitration Forum electronically on
On
On September 4, 2007, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of September 24, 2007 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@downysavings.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 <downysavings.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s DOWNEY SAVINGS mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <downysavings.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <downysavings.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Downey Savings and Loan Association, F.A., is a
federally chartered savings association.
In connection with the provision of these services, Complainant has
registered the DOWNEY SAVINGS mark (Reg. No. 2,686,363 issued
Respondent registered the disputed 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.
Complainant asserts rights in the DOWNEY SAVINGS mark through registration of the mark with the USPTO. The Panel finds that Complainant’s timely registration and subsequent use of the DOWNEY SAVINGS mark sufficiently establishes rights in the mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Mothers Against Drunk Driving v. phix, FA 174052 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 25, 2003) (finding that the complainant’s registration of the MADD mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office established the complainant’s rights in the mark for purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i)); see also Ameridream, Inc. v. Russell, FA 677782 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 24, 2006) (holding that the complainant’s registration of the AMERIDREAM mark with the USPTO established its rights in the mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i)).
The disputed domain name contains a misspelled version of
Complainant’s mark, simply eliminating the letter “e” and the space between the
two words of Complainant’s mark, as well as adding the generic top-level domain
(“gTLD”) “.com.” The Panel finds that such
changes to Complainant’s mark lead to a finding that Respondent’s disputed
domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶
4(a)(i). See Rollerblade,
Inc. v. McCrady, D2000-0429
(WIPO June 25, 2000) (finding that the top level of the domain name such as
“.net” or “.com” does not affect the domain name for the purpose of determining
whether it is identical or confusingly similar); see also Croatia Airlines v.
Kwen Kijong, AF-0302 (eResolution Sept. 25, 2000) (finding that the domain name
<croatiaairlines.com> is identical to the complainant's CROATIA AIRLINES
trademark); see also State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Try Harder
&
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
In instances where Complainant has made a prima facie case in support of its
allegations, the burden shifts to Respondent to set forth concrete evidence
indicating that it has rights or legitimate interests in accordance with Policy
¶ 4(a)(ii). See SEMCO Prods., LLC v. dmg world media (
The disputed domain name resolves to a website featuring
advertisements and links to competing websites.
The Panel finds that Respondent’s use is neither a bona fide offering of goods or services pursuant to Policy ¶
4(c)(i) nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use pursuant to Policy ¶
4(c)(iii). See Hale Prods., Inc. v. Hart Int’l Inc., FA 198031 (Nat. Arb.
Forum Dec. 2, 2003) (finding that the respondent had no rights or legitimate
interests in the <jawsoflife.com> domain name because the respondent was
diverting Internet users to the website of one of the complainant’s
competitors); see also 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)).
Respondent’s WHOIS information reveals that the registrant of the <downysavings.com> domain name is “Hong Kong Names LLC.” The Panel finds that Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See Tercent Inc. v. Lee Yi, FA 139720 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 10, 2003) (stating “nothing in Respondent’s WHOIS information implies that Respondent is ‘commonly known by’ the disputed domain name” as one factor in determining that Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) does not apply); see also Instron Corp. v. Kaner, FA 768859 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 21, 2006) (finding that the respondent is not commonly known by the <shoredurometer.com> or <shoredurometers.com> domain names where the WHOIS information indicates the registrant of the domain names as “Andrew Kaner c/o Electromatic a/k/a Electromatic Equip’t,” and no other evidence suggests that the respondent is commonly known by the domain names).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Respondent’s disputed domain name resolves to a website offering links to competing websites. The Panel finds that Respondent’s use amounts to a disruption of Complainant’s business and evinces registration and use in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii). See Persohn v. Lim, FA 874447 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 19, 2007) (finding bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii) where a respondent used the disputed domain name to operate a commercial search engine with links to the complainant’s competitors); see also Tesco Pers. Fin. Ltd. v. Domain Mgmt. Services, FA 877982 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 13, 2007) (concluding that the use of a confusingly similar domain name to attract Internet users to a website containing commercial links to the websites of the complainant’s competitors represented bad faith registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii)).
Presumably, Respondent receives monetary benefit from its
diversionary use of the disputed domain name in the form of click-through
advertising fees. Respondent’s use is
also likely to confuse unwary Internet users as to the source and affiliation
of the resulting material on Respondent’s website. The Panel therefore finds that Respondent’s
attempt to obtain financial remuneration from its diversionary use of the
disputed domain name evinces registration and use in bad faith in accordance
with Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv). See Asbury Auto. Group, Inc. v.
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 <downysavings.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Sandra J. Franklin, Panelist
Dated: October 10, 2007
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