Clark Equipment Company v. Cathy Taylor
Claim Number: FA1803001775063
Complainant is Clark Equipment Company (“Complainant”), represented by Heather Stutz of Quarles & Brady LLP, Wisconsin, USA. Respondent is Cathy Taylor (“Respondent”), California, USA.
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <bobcatrentaldirect.com>, registered with GoDaddy.com, LLC.
The undersigned certifies that he has acted independently and impartially, and, to the best of his knowledge, has no conflict of interests in serving as Panelist in this proceeding.
Terry F. Peppard as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the Forum electronically on March 8, 2018; the Forum received payment on March 8, 2018.
On March 9, 2018, GoDaddy.com, LLC confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name is registered with GoDaddy.com, LLC and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. GoDaddy.com, LLC has verified that Respondent is bound by the GoDaddy.com, LLC 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 March 13, 2018, the Forum served the Complaint and all Annexes, including a Written Notice of the Complaint, setting a deadline of April 2, 2018 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@bobcatrentaldirect.com. Also on March 13, 2018, 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 April 3, 2018, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed Terry F. Peppard as sole Panelist in this proceeding.
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
Complainant is a leading global provider of compact equipment for construction, landscaping and agriculture, as well as related goods and services.
Complainant holds a registration for the BOBCAT trademark, which is on file with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) as Registry No. 4,261,549, registered December 18, 2012.
Respondent registered the domain name <bobcatrentaldirect.com> on or about January 27, 2015
The domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s BOBCAT mark.
Respondent has not been commonly known by the domain name.
Complainant also has never authorized Respondent to use its BOBCAT mark for any purpose.
Respondent is not using the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services, or legitimate noncommercial or fair use.
Instead, Respondent uses the domain name to divert Internet users to a webpage that directly competes with rental services provided by Complainant.
Respondent has no rights to or legitimate interests in the domain name.
Respondent’s use of the domain name disrupts Complainant’s business.
Respondent uses the domain name to acquire commercial gain by creating confusion among Internet users as to the possibility of Complainant’s affiliation with it.
Respondent knew of Complainant’s rights to the BOBCAT mark when it registered the domain name.
Respondent’s registration and use of the domain name is in bad faith.
B. Respondent
Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
(1) the domain name registered by Respondent is confusingly similar to a trademark in which Complainant has rights; and
(2) Respondent has no rights to or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
(3) the same domain name was registered and is being used by Respondent in bad faith.
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:
i. the domain name registered by Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which Complainant has rights; and
ii. Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
iii. the domain name has been registered and is being used by Respondent in bad faith.
In view of Respondent's failure to submit a response, the Panel will, pursuant to paragraphs 5(f), 14(a) and 15(a) of the Rules, decide this proceeding on the basis of Complainant's undisputed representations, and, pursuant to paragraph 14(b) of the Rules, draw such inferences as it deems appropriate. The Panel is entitled to accept as true all reasonable allegations and inferences set out in the Complaint unless the evidence is clearly contradictory. See Vertical Solutions Mgmt., Inc. v. webnet-marketing, inc., FA 95095 (Forum July 31, 2000) (finding that a respondent’s failure to respond allows all reasonable inferences of fact in the allegations of a UDRP complaint to be deemed true). See also Talk City, Inc. v. Robertson, D2000-0009 (WIPO February 29, 2000): “In the absence of a response, it is appropriate to accept as true all allegations of the Complaint.”
Complainant has rights in the BOBCAT trademark sufficient for purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) by virtue of its registration of the mark with a national trademark authority, the USPTO. See Liberty Global Logistics, LLC v. damilola emmanuel / tovary services limited, FA 1738536 (Forum August 4, 2017):
Registration of a mark with the USPTO sufficiently establishes the required rights in the mark for purposes of the Policy.
Turning to the central question posed by Policy ¶ 4(a)(i), we conclude from a review of the record that Respondent’s <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s BOBCAT mark. The domain name contains the mark in its entirety, with only the addition of the generic term “rental direct,” which can be taken to relate to an aspect of Complainant’s business, plus the generic Top Level Domain (“gTLD”) “.com.” These alterations of the mark, made in forming the domain name, do not save it from the realm of confusing similarity under the standards of the Policy. See, for example, Kohler Co. v. Curley, FA 890812 (Forum March 5, 2007) (finding confusing similarity where the domain name <kohlerbaths.com> contained a UDRP complainant’s mark in its entirety, merely adding “the descriptive term ‘baths,’ which is an obvious allusion to complainant’s business.”). See also Trip Network Inc. v. Alviera, FA 914943 (Forum March 27, 2007) (concluding that the affixation of a gTLD to the mark of another in creating a domain name is irrelevant to a Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) analysis). This is because every domain name requires a gTLD.
Under Policy 4(a)(ii), Complainant must make a prima facie showing that Respondent lacks rights to and legitimate interests in the challenged <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name, whereupon the burden shifts to Respondent to show that it does have such rights or interests. See Hanna-Barbera Prods., Inc. v. Entm’t Commentaries, FA 741828 (Forum August 18, 2006) (finding that a UDRP complainant must make a prima facie case that a respondent lacks rights to or legitimate interests in a disputed domain name under UDRP ¶ 4(a)(ii) before the burden shifts to that respondent to show that it does have such rights or interests). See also AOL LLC v. Gerberg, FA 780200 (Forum September 25, 2006):
Complainant must … 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, … the burden shifts to Respondent to show that it does have rights or legitimate interests in the subject domain names.
Complainant has made out a sufficient prima facie showing under this head of the Policy. Respondent’s failure to respond to the Complaint therefore permits us to infer that Respondent does not have rights to or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. See Desotec N.V. v. Jacobi Carbons AB, D2000-1398 (WIPO December 21, 2000) (finding that a respondent’s failure to respond to a UDRP complaint allows a presumption that a complainant’s allegations are true unless they are clearly contradicted by the evidence). Nonetheless, we will examine the record before us, in light of the several considerations set out in Policy ¶ 4(c) (i)-(iii), to determine whether there is in it any basis for concluding that Respondent has rights to or legitimate interests in the contested domain name that are cognizable under the Policy.
We begin by noting that Complainant contends, and Respondent does not deny, that Respondent has not been commonly known by the <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name, and that Complainant has not authorized Respondent to use the BOBCAT mark for any purpose. Moreover, the pertinent WHOIS information identifies the registrant of the domain name only as “Cathy Taylor,” which does not resemble the domain name. On this record, we conclude that Respondent has not been commonly known by the disputed domain name so as to have acquired rights to or legitimate interests in it within the ambit of Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See Chevron Intellectual Property LLC v. Fred Wallace, FA1506001626022 (Forum July 27, 2015) (finding, under Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii), that a respondent was not commonly known by the <chevron-europe.com> domain name where the relevant WHOIS information identified its registrant only as “Fred Wallace.” See also Navistar International Corporation v. N Rahmany, FA1505001620789 (Forum June 8, 2015) (finding that a respondent was not commonly known by a disputed domain name where a UDRP complainant had not authorized that respondent to incorporate its mark in a domain name).
We next observe that Complainant asserts, without objection from Respondent, that Respondent does not employ the <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services or for a legitimate noncommercial or fair use. Instead, Complainant alleges, Respondent uses the domain name to acquire commercial profit by diverting Internet users to a webpage that directly competes with the business of Complainant. This use is neither a bona fide offering of goods or services by means of the domain name under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of it under Policy ¶ (4)(c)(iii) such as would confirm in Respondent rights to or legitimate interests in the domain name within the meaning of those provisions of the Policy. See Coryn Group, Inc. v. Media Insight, FA 198959 (Forum December 5, 2003) (finding that a respondent was not using contested domain names for either a bona fide offering of goods or services or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use where that respondent used the domain names to divert Internet users to a website that offered services competing with those offered by a UDRP complainant under its marks).
The Panel therefore finds that Complainant has satisfied the proof requirements of Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).
We are persuaded by the evidence that Respondent’s use of the disputed <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name as alleged in the Complaint disrupts Complainant’s business by diverting Complainant’s potential customers from its legitimate websites to Respondent’s illegitimate one where it offers competing services. Under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii), this stands as proof of Respondent’s bad faith in registering and using the domain name. See Am. Online, Inc. v. Tapia, FA 328159 (Forum December 1, 2004):
Respondent is referring Internet traffic that seeks out … [Complainant’s] domain name to a competitor’s … site. The Panel … finds that appropriating Complainant’s mark to refer customers seeking Complainant to Complainant’s competitors is evidence of bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii).
We are also convinced by the evidence that Respondent uses the challenged <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name, which we find to be confusingly similar to Complainant’s BOBCAT trademark, to profit commercially from the confusion thus caused among Internet users as to the possibility of Complainant’s affiliation with the domain name. Under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv), this too stands as proof of Respondent’s bad faith in registering and using the domain name. See AOL LLC v. iTech Ent, LLC, FA 726227 (Forum July 21, 2006) (finding that a respondent improperly took commercial advantage of the confusing similarity between contested domain names and a UDRP complainant’s mark, which indicated that respondent’s bad faith registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv)).
Finally, under this head of the Policy, it is plain from the record that Respondent knew of Complainant and its rights in the BOBCAT mark when it registered the <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name. This further shows Respondent’s bad faith in registering that domain name. See Univision Comm'cns Inc. v. Norte, FA 1000079 (Forum Aug. 16, 2007) (rejecting a respondent's contention that it did not register a disputed domain name in bad faith where a panel found that that respondent had knowledge of a UDRP complainant's rights in a mark when registering the confusingly similar domain name).
The Panel thus finds that Complainant has met its obligations of proof under Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii).
Complainant having established all three elements required to be proven under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that the relief requested must be, and it is hereby, GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <bobcatrentaldirect.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED forthwith from Respondent to Complainant.
Terry F. Peppard, Panelist
Dated: April 16, 2018
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