Gregg Appliances, Inc. v. Maria Varela
Claim Number: FA0903001254621
Complainant is Gregg
Appliances, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Bradley M. Stohry, of ICE MILLER LLP,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <hhgreg.com>, registered with Backslap Domains.
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.
Louis E. Condon as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on March 27, 2009; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on March 30, 2009.
On March 27, 2009, Backslap Domains confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <hhgreg.com> domain name is registered with Backslap Domains and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Backslap Domains has verified that Respondent is bound by the Backslap Domains 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 April 9, 2009, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of April 29, 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@hhgreg.com by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On May 5, 2009, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Louis E. Condon as Panelist.
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 <hhgreg.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s HHGREGG.COM mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <hhgreg.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <hhgreg.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Gregg Appliances, Inc., operates under its HHGREGG.COM mark in connection with its retail consumer appliances, electronics, and computer sales. Complainant has operated since 1960 in connection with this business. Complainant has registered the HHGREGG.COM mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (Reg. No. 2,557,080 issued April 2, 2002).
Respondent registered the <hhgreg.com> domain name on August 5, 2003. The disputed domain name resolves to a website that features links and advertisements for numerous third parties, including for Complainant’s direct competitors.
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.
The Panel finds that Complainant has successfully
demonstrated its rights in the HHGREGG.COM mark through its registration of the
mark with the USPTO under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Metro. Life Ins. Co. v.
Bonds, FA 873143
(Nat. Arb.
Forum Feb. 16, 2007) (finding that a trademark registration adequately
demonstrates a complainant’s rights in a mark under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i)); see also
The <hhgreg.com> domain name contains a
misspelled version of the HHGREGG.COM mark, in that the last “g” has been
removed from the mark. The Panel finds
that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark
under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See
Reuters Ltd. v. Global Net 2000, Inc., D2000-0441 (WIPO July 13, 2000)
(finding that a domain name which differs by only one letter from a trademark
has a greater tendency to be confusingly similar to the trademark where the
trademark is highly distinctive); see
also Granarolo S.p.A. v. Dinoia, FA 649854 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 17, 2006)
(finding that the <granarolo.com> domain name was confusingly similar to
the complainant’s registered G GRANAROLO mark).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant has asserted that Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. Complainant must successfully assert a sufficient prima facie case supporting its allegations before Respondent receives the burden of demonstrating its rights or legitimate interests. The Panel finds that Complainant has met its burden, and therefore Respondent must demonstrate its rights or legitimate interests under Policy ¶ 4(c). See G.D. Searle v. Martin Mktg., FA 118277 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 1, 2002) (“Because Complainant’s Submission constitutes a prima facie case under the Policy, the burden effectively shifts to Respondent. Respondent’s failure to respond means that Respondent has not presented any circumstances that would promote its rights or legitimate interests in the subject domain name under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).”); see also Clerical Med. Inv. Group Ltd. v. Clericalmedical.com, D2000-1228 (WIPO Nov. 28, 2000) (finding that, under certain circumstances, the mere assertion by the complainant that the respondent has no right or legitimate interest is sufficient to shift the burden of proof to the respondent to demonstrate that such a right or legitimate interest does exist).
Complainant argues that Respondent is not licensed to use
Complainant’s mark, and that Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed
domain name. The Panel notes that the
WHOIS information lists Respondent as “Maria Varela.” Therefore, the Panel finds that Respondent
lacks rights and legitimate interests under Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See M. Shanken Commc’ns v.
WORLDTRAVELERSONLINE.COM, FA
740335 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 3, 2006) (finding that the respondent was not
commonly known by the <cigaraficionada.com> domain name under Policy ¶
4(c)(ii) based on the WHOIS information and other evidence in the record); see also Coppertown Drive-Thru
Sys., LLC v. Snowden, FA 715089 (Nat.
Arb. Forum July 17, 2006) (concluding that the respondent was not
commonly known by the <coppertown.com> domain name where there was no
evidence in the record, including the WHOIS information, suggesting that the
respondent was commonly known by the disputed domain name).
The disputed domain name resolves to a website that displays commercial links to third parties, including Complainant’s direct competitors, which the Panel presumes profits Respondent via the receipt of some type of referral fee. The Panel aligns itself with previous UDRP precedent in finding that such a use fails as 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). See Disney Enters., Inc. v. Kamble, FA 918556 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 27, 2007) (holding that the operation of a pay-per-click website at a confusingly similar domain name was not 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)); see also Vance Int’l, Inc. v. Abend, FA 970871 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 8, 2007) (concluding that the operation of a pay-per-click website at a confusingly similar domain name does not represent a bona fide offering of goods or services or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use, regardless of whether or not the links resolve to competing or unrelated websites or if the respondent is itself commercially profiting from the click-through fees).
Complainant argues that Respondent has engaged in a practice
known as “typosquatting,” which describes the registration of a disputed domain
name that capitalizes on the typographical mistakes of Internet users. In the present case, the only distinction
between the mark and the disputed domain name is the omission of the last “g”
in the mark. This constitutes a textbook
case of typosquatting, and therefore evidences Respondent’s lack of rights and
legitimate interests under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). See Microsoft Corp. v. Domain
Registration
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Respondent’s disputed domain name resolves to a website that
promotes Complainant’s direct competitors with hyperlinks and
advertisements. This use clearly
disrupts Complainant’s business as it encourages Internet users to conduct
business with Complainant’s competitors.
The Panel therefore finds that Respondent registered and is using the
disputed domain name in bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii). See Red Hat, Inc. v. Haecke,
FA 726010 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 24, 2006) (finding that the respondent
engaged in bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii) by using the disputed domain names to operate a
commercial search engine with links to the products of the complainant and to complainant’s
competitors, as well as by diverting Internet users to several other domain
names); see also S. Exposure v. S. Exposure, Inc., FA 94864 (Nat. Arb. Forum July
18, 2000) (finding that the respondent registered the domain name in question
to disrupt the business of the complainant, a competitor of the respondent).
The Panel also finds that Respondent’s confusingly similar
disputed domain name, which resolves to a commercial website promoting
Complainant’s competitors, creates a likelihood of confusion as to
Complainant’s affiliation and endorsement of the disputed domain and
corresponding website, which constitutes bad faith registration and use under
Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).
See Allianz of Am. Corp. v. Bond, FA 680624 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 2, 2006) (finding bad
faith registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv) where the respondent was
diverting Internet users searching for the complainant to its own website and
likely profiting); see also Zee TV USA, Inc. v. Siddiqi, FA
721969 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 18, 2006) (finding that the respondent engaged in
bad faith registration and use by using a domain name that was confusingly
similar to the complainant’s mark to offer links to third-party websites that
offered services similar to those offered by the complainant).
The Panel finds that Respondent’s engagement in
typosquatting, as described above in the Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii)
analysis, also demonstrates Respondent’s bad faith registration and use under
Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). See Nextel Commc’ns Inc. v. Geer, FA 477183 (Nat. Arb.
Forum July 15, 2005) (finding that the respondent’s registration and use of the
<nextell.com> domain name was in bad faith because the domain name
epitomized typosquatting in its purest form); see also Internet Movie Database, Inc. v. Temme, FA
449837 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 24, 2005) (“Respondent's registration of the domain
names in dispute constitutes bad faith because the domain names are merely
typosquatted versions of the [complainant’s] IMDB mark.).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii) has been satisfied.
Complainant having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief should be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <hhgreg.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Louis E. Condon, Panelist
Dated: May 14, 2009
Click Here to return to the main Domain Decisions Page.
Click Here to return to our Home Page
National
Arbitration Forum