Bridgewater Associates, LP v. Mike Manning
Claim Number: FA2112001976062
Complainant is Bridgewater Associates, LP (“Complainant”), represented by Eric J. Shimanoff of Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, P.C., New York, USA. Respondent is Mike Manning (“Respondent”), China.
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <bridgewatercapital-gam.com>, (‘the Domain Name’) registered with Wix.com Ltd.
The undersigned certifies that she has acted independently and impartially and to the best of her knowledge has no known conflict in serving as Panelist in this proceeding.
Dawn Osborne as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the Forum electronically on December 6, 2021; the Forum received payment on December 6, 2021.
On December 8, 2021, Wix.com Ltd. confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the <bridgewatercapital-gam.com> domain name is registered with Wix.com Ltd. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Wix.com Ltd. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Wix.com Ltd. 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 December 10, 2021, the Forum served the Complaint and all Annexes, including a Written Notice of the Complaint, setting a deadline of December 30, 2021 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@bridgewatercapital-gam.com. Also on December 10, 2021, 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 January 4, 2022 pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed Dawn Osborne 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
The Complainant owns the trade mark BRIDGEWATER registered, inter alia, in the USA with first use recorded as 1975.
The Domain Name registered in 2021 is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trade mark containing it in its entirety and merely adding the generic terms ‘capital’ and ‘gam’ meaning global asset management, a hyphen and the gTLD “.com” which do not distinguish the Domain Name from the Complainant’s mark.
Respondent does not have rights or a legitimate interests in the Domain Name, is not commonly known by the Domain Name and is not authorised by the Complainant. The Respondent does not have the right to use the Complainant’s BRIDGEWATER mark in the Domain Name for a website that offers competing financial services. The Complainant’s BRIDGEWATER mark has earned significant fame and recognition and is a well-known distinct source identifier in the asset management industry.
Since Internet users will be duped into believing the site attached to the Domain Name is connected with the Complainant this is not legitimate. It is registration and use in opportunistic bad faith to confuse Internet users and disrupt the Complainant’s business.
Moreover, upon information and belief, the financial services offered via Respondent’s website are fake. Respondent’s website claims its purported investment management company is part of “BC Global Asset Management” of Hong Kong. BC Global Asset Management has no affiliation with the purported Bridgewater Capital Global Asset Management. Moreover, Respondent’s website claims the firm is registered with the Hong Kong Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Upon information and belief, no such agency exists in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, banks are regulated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and investments are regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission. Moreover, some of the photos of the employees of the purported “Bridgewater Capital Global Asset Management” come from stock photo sites and/or third party websites associated with fake names and testimonials. The offering of fake services is not a legitimate or bona fide use of a domain name and is registration and use in bad faith.
B. Respondent
Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
The Complainant owns the trade mark BRIDGEWATER registered, inter alia, in the USA with first use recorded as 1975.
The Domain Name registered in 2021 has been used for a site purporting to offer competing financial services which seem to be fake suggesting fraudulent activity.
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(f), 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 set forth in a complaint; however, the Panel may deny relief where a complaint contains mere conclusory or unsubstantiated arguments. See WIPO Jurisprudential Overview 3.0 at ¶ 4.3; see also eGalaxy Multimedia Inc. v. ON HOLD By Owner Ready To Expire, FA 157287 (Forum June 26, 2003) (“Because Complainant did not produce clear evidence to support its subjective allegations [. . .] the Panel finds it appropriate to dismiss the Complaint”).
The Domain Name consists of the Complainant's BRIDGEWATER mark (which is registered, inter alia, in the USA for financial services with first use recorded as 1975), the generic terms ‘capital’ and ‘gam’ meaning global asset management, a hyphen and the gTLD “.com”.
Previous panels have found confusing similarity when a respondent merely adds generic terms and hyphens to a Complainant's mark. See PG&E Corp. v. Anderson, D2000-1264 (WIPO Nov. 22, 2000) (finding that respondent does not by adding common descriptive or generic terms create new or different marks nor does it alter the underlying mark held by the Complainant). See Health Devices Corp. v. Aspen STC, FA 158254 (Forum July 1, 2003) (The addition of punctuation marks such as hyphens is irrelevant in the determination of confusing similarity pursuant to Policy 4(a)(i).). Accordingly the Panel holds that the addition of the generic terms ‘capital’ and ‘gam’ meaning global asset management and a hyphen to the Complainant’s trade mark in the Domain Name does not prevent confusing similarity between the Domain Name and the Complainant’s mark.
The gTLD “.com” does not serve to distinguish a Domain Name from a Complainant’s mark. See Red Hat Inc v. Haecke, FA 726010 (Forum July 24, 2006) (concluding that the redhat.org domain name is identical to the complainant's red hat mark because the mere addition of the gTLD was insufficient to differentiate the disputed domain name from the mark).
Accordingly, the Panel holds that the Domain Name is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s registered mark.
As such the Panel holds that Paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy has been satisfied.
Rights or Legitimate Interests
The Respondent is not authorised by the Complainant. Respondent has not responded to this Complaint and there is no evidence or reason to suggest the Respondent is, in fact, commonly known by the Domain Name. See Alaska Air Group, Inc. and its subsidiary, Alaska Airlines v. Song Bin, FA1408001574905 (Forum Sept. 17, 2014) (holding that the respondent was not commonly known by the disputed domain name as demonstrated by the WHOIS information and based on the fact that the complainant had not licensed or authorized the respondent to use its ALASKA AIRLINES mark). The WHOIS record for the Domain Name lists Respondent’s name as “Mike Manning”. Respondent’s name does not bear any resemblance to the Domain Name and the Panel finds that the Respondent is not commonly known by it.
The web site attached to the Domain Name uses the Complainant's BRIDGEWATER mark to purport to offer competing services. It does not make it clear that there is no commercial connection with the Complainant and in the judgement of the Panel the web site will be more likely than not to deceive Internet users that it and the Respondent’s business is connected with the Complainant when it is not. As such it cannot amount to the bona fide offering of goods and services. See Am. Intl Group Inc. v. Benjamin, FA 944242 (Forum May 11, 2007) (finding that the Respondent's use of a confusingly similar domain name to compete with the Complainant's business did not constitute a bona fide use of goods and services.). Since the use is commercial it cannot be legitimate non-commercial fair use.
The site attached to the Domain Name is operated by “Bridgewater Capital Global Asset Management”, which the website claims is registered with the Hong Kong Financial Services Regulatory Authority. However, apparently no such agency exists in Hong Kong, and the company would need to be registered with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and/or the Securities and Futures Commission. Also the Complainant has adduced evidence that the Respondent has no association with BC Global Asset Management as the site attached to the Domain Name claims. Additionally, several of the photos that are allegedly of employees of the Respondent come from stock photos from a fake testimonial site. Previous Panels have noted that offering fake services does not constitute a bona fide offer or a legitimate non-commercial or fair use under Policy 4(c)(i) and (iii). See Acton Educational Services d/b/a West Coast Univ. v. West Coast Univ. Int’l Inc., FA 1191541 (Forum July 2, 2008) (website offering fake educational services was not a legitimate use of domain name).
As such the Panelist finds that the Complainant has shown that the Respondent does not have rights or a legitimate interest in the Domain Name and that the Complainant has satisfied the second limb of the Policy.
Registration and Use in Bad Faith
In the opinion of the Panel the use made of the Domain Name in relation to the Respondent’s site is confusing and disruptive in that visitors to the site might reasonably believe it is operated by or connected to the Complainant as it offers competing services under the Complainant’s mark giving the impression that the site attached to the Domain Name is commercially connected with the Complainant when it is not. Further the evidence shows that the web site is offering fake services. Purporting to be a big financial company when the services offered appear to be fake makes it more likely than not that the Respondent is aware of the Complainant, its rights and services and is actively attempting to take advantage of the Complainant’s goodwill to deceive and confuse for likely fraudulent purposes.
Accordingly, the Panel holds that the Respondent has intentionally attempted to attract for commercial gain Internet users to his website by creating a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant's trade mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the web site and the services offered on it likely to disrupt the business of the Complainant. See Asbury Auto Group Inc. v. Tex. Int'l Prop Assocs, FA 958542 (Forum May 29, 2007) (finding that the respondent's use of the disputed domain name to compete with the complainant's business would likely lead to confusion amongst Internet users as to the sponsorship or affiliation of a competing business and was therefore evidence of bad faith and use). Fraudulent activity is bad faith per se.
As such, the Panelist believes that the Complainant has made out its case that the Domain Name was registered and used in bad faith and has satisfied the third limb of the Policy under paragraphs 4(b)(iii) and 4(b)(iv).
Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <bridgewatercapital-gam.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Dawn Osborne, Panelist
Dated: January 4, 2022
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