Zoetis Inc. and Zoetis Services LLC v. VistaPrint Technologies Ltd
Claim Number: FA1506001623601
Complainant is Zoetis Inc. and Zoetis Services LLC (“Complainant”), represented by Laura J. Winston of Kim Winston LLP., New York, USA. Respondent is VistaPrint Technologies Ltd (“Respondent”), Bermuda.
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <zoietis.com>, registered with Tucows Domains 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 Forum electronically on June 9, 2015; the Forum received payment on June 9, 2015.
On June 10, 2015, Tucows Domains Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the <zoietis.com> domain name is registered with Tucows Domains Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Tucows Domains Inc. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Tucows Domains Inc. registration agreement and has thereby agreed to resolve domain disputes brought by third parties in accordance with ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Policy”).
On June 10, 2015, the Forum served the Complaint and all Annexes, including a Written Notice of the Complaint, setting a deadline of June 30, 2015 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@zoietis.com. Also on June 10, 2015, the Written Notice of the Complaint, notifying Respondent of the e-mail 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.
Having received no response from Respondent, the Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On July 8, 2015, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed Sandra J. Franklin as Panelist.
Having reviewed the communications records, the Administrative Panel (the "Panel") finds that the 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" through submission of Electronic and Written Notices, as defined in Rule 1 and Rule 2. Therefore, the Panel may issue its decision based on the documents submitted and in accordance with the ICANN Policy, ICANN Rules, the 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
1. Respondent’s <zoietis.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s ZOETIS mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <zoietis.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and uses the <zoietis.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Preliminary Issue: Multiple Complainants
There are two Complainants in this matter: Zoetis Inc. and Zoetis Services LLC. Zoetis Services LLC is a wholly own subsidiary of Zoetis Inc. The relevant rules governing multiple complainants are UDRP Rule 3(a) and the National Arbitration Forum’s Supplemental Rule 1(e). UDRP Rule 3(a) states, “Any person or entity may initiate an administrative proceeding by submitting a complaint.” The National Arbitration Forum’s Supplemental Rule 1(e) defines “The Party Initiating a Complaint Concerning a Domain Name Registration” as a “single person or entity claiming to have rights in the domain name, or multiple persons or entities who have a sufficient nexus who can each claim to have rights to all domain names listed in the Complaint.”
Previous panels have interpreted the Forum’s Supplemental Rule 1(e) to allow multiple parties to proceed as one party where they can show a sufficient link to each other. For example, in Vancouver Org. Comm. for the 2010 Olympic and Paralymic Games & Int’l Olympic Comm. v. Malik, FA 666119 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 12, 2006), the panel stated:
It has been accepted that it is permissible for two complainants to submit a single complaint if they can demonstrate a link between the two entities such as a relationship involving a license, a partnership or an affiliation that would establish the reason for the parties bringing the complaint as one entity.
In Tasty Baking, Co. & Tastykake Invs., Inc. v. Quality Hosting, FA 208854 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 28, 2003), the panel treated the two complainants as a single entity where both parties held rights in trademarks contained within the disputed domain names. Likewise, in Am. Family Health Srvs. Group, LLC v. Logan, FA 220049 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 6, 2004), the panel found a sufficient link between the complainants where there was a license between the parties regarding use of the TOUGHLOVE mark.
The Panel finds that Complainant has established a sufficient nexus between the two named Complainants, and elects to treat them as a single entity in this proceeding. Complainants will be collectively referred to as “Complainant.”
Respondent registered the Respondent’s <zoietis.com> domain name on March 15, 2015, and uses it to phish for personal information.
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."
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.
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.”).
The Panel finds that Complainant’s registration of the ZOETIS mark with the USPTO evinces rights in the mark for purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i), despite Respondent’s residence in Bermuda. See W.W. Grainger, Inc. v. Above.com Domain Privacy, FA 1334458 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 24, 2010) (stating that “the Panel finds that USPTO registration is sufficient to establish these [Policy ¶ 4(a)(i)] rights even when Respondent lives or operates in a different country.”).
Respondent’s <zoietis.com> domain name incorporates Complainant’s ZOETIS mark, and merely adds an extra letter “I” and the gTLD “.com.” These minor differences between the disputed domain name and Complainant’s mark are not sufficient to differentiate the mark from the disputed domain name. See Google, Inc. v. DktBot.org, FA 286993 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 4, 2004) (“The mere addition of a single letter to the complainant’s mark does not remove the respondent’s domain names from the realm of confusing similarity in relation to the complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).”); see also Sony Kabushiki Kaisha v. EOS1\EOS-1, Inc., FA 493110 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 15, 2005) (“Respondent’s <www-sony.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s SONY mark, as the domain name incorporates Complainant’s mark and adds a “www” prefix, a hyphen, and the generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) “.com.”). Thus, the Panel finds that Respondent’s <zoietis.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s ZOETIS mark.
The Panel finds that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).
Once Complainant makes a prima facie case that Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii), the burden shifts to Respondent to show it does have rights or legitimate interests. See Hanna-Barbera Prods., Inc. v. Entm’t Commentaries, FA 741828 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 18, 2006) (holding that the complainant must first make a prima facie case that the respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name under UDRP ¶ 4(a)(ii) before the burden shifts to the respondent to show that it does have rights or legitimate interests in a domain name); see also AOL LLC v. Gerberg, FA 780200 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 25, 2006) (“Complainant must first make a prima facie showing that Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interest in the subject domain names, which burden is light. If Complainant satisfies its burden, then the burden shifts to Respondent to show that it does have rights or legitimate interests in the subject domain names.”).
Complainant argues that Respondent is not commonly known by the <zoietis.com> domain name or the ZOETIS mark. Complainant states that it has never given Respondent permission to use the ZOETIS mark. The WHOIS information identifies “VistaPrint Technologies Ltd” as registrant. The Panel finds that there is no evidence to find that Respondent is commonly known by the disputed domain names under Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See Reese v. Morgan, FA 917029 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 5, 2007) (concluding that the respondent was not commonly known by the <lilpunk.com> domain name as there was no evidence in the record showing that the respondent was commonly known by that domain name, including the WHOIS information as well as the complainant’s assertion that it did not authorize or license the respondent’s use of its mark in a domain name).
Complainant further alleges that Respondent is using the <zoietis.com> domain name to impersonate Complainant’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Paul Herendeen, by using the email address, paul.herendeen@ zoietis.com to phish for personal information. The Panel notes an email sent using the <zoietis.com> domain name in an email string in furtherance of fraudulent activity. See Juno Online Servs., Inc. v. Nelson, FA 241972 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 29, 2004) (finding that using a domain name in a fraudulent scheme to deceive Internet users into providing their credit card and personal information is not a bona fide offering of goods or services nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use). The Panel thus finds that Respondent’s use of the <zoietis.com> domain name further evinces Respondent’s lack of rights or legitimate interests under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).
The Panel finds that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).
Complainant argues that Respondent has engaged in a pattern of bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(ii). The Panel notes multiple decisions in which Respondent was found to have registered and used domain names in bad faith. See Zoetis Inc. v. VistaPrint Technologies Ltd, FA1504001613565 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 26, 2015); Century 21 Real Estate LLC v. VistaPrint Technologies Ltd, FA1201001422157 (Nat. Arb. Forum February 2, 2012) (involving same parties); Regents of the University of Michigan v. VistaPrint Technologies Ltd, FA 1460764 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 5, 2012) (Respondent used email addresses appearing to come from the complainant for phishing; domain name transferred). Previous panels have found a pattern of bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(ii), where the complainant presents previous adverse UDRP proceedings involving the respondent. See Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Bin g Glu, FA 1036129 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 2, 2007) (holding prior UDRP proceedings as sufficient evidence of a pattern of bad faith registrations). Thus, the Panel finds that Respondent’s history of bad faith as demonstrated by prior UDRP cases demonstrates bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(ii).
Respondent’s attempt to use the <zoietis.com> domain name to phish for personal information in fraudulent emails also constitutes bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). See PineBridge Investments IP Holdings Limited v. uche victor, FA 1551301 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 6, 2014) (“[r]espondent is trying to confuse Internet users into believing that Respondent is in fact the CEO of [c]omplainant’s business, when it is not. The [p]anel finds that using a disputed domain name to attract Internet users to a website by confusing them as to the [c]omplainant’s affiliation with [r]espondent’s disputed domain name indicates bad faith use and registration under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv)”).
Complainant argues that Respondent’s fraudulent attempt to portray itself as an executive of Complainant indicates that Respondent had actual knowledge of Complainant's mark and rights. The Panel agrees and finds that Respondent had actual knowledge of Complainant's mark and rights, bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). See Nat'l Patent Servs. Inc. v. Bean, FA 1071869 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 1, 2007) ("[C]onstructive notice does not support a finding of bad faith registration."); see also Minicards Vennootschap Onder FIrma Amsterdam v. Moscow Studios, FA 1031703 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 5, 2007) (holding that respondent registered a domain name in bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii) after concluding that respondent "actual knowledge of Complainant's mark when registering the disputed domain name").
The Panel finds that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii).
Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <zoietis.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Sandra J. Franklin, Panelist
Dated: July 14, 2015
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