American Culinary ChefsBest
v. Vertical Axis, Inc c/o Domain Adminstrator
Claim Number: FA0709001082259
Complainant is American
Culinary ChefsBest (“Complainant”),
represented by Jonathan Swartz, of Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <chefsbest.com>,
registered with Nameview, Inc.
PANEL
The undersigned certify that they have acted
independently and impartially and to the best of their knowledge have no known
conflict in serving as Panelists in this proceeding.
Q. Todd Dickinson, David E. Sorkin, and Mark
McCormick, Chair, Panelists.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the
National Arbitration Forum electronically on September
26, 2007; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the
Complaint on October 2, 2007.
On October 1,
2007, Nameview, Inc. confirmed by
e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <chefsbest.com> domain
name is registered with Nameview, Inc.
and that the Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Nameview, Inc.
has verified that Respondent is bound by the Nameview,
Inc. 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 October 11,
2007, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative
Proceeding (the “Commencement Notification”), setting a deadline of October 31,
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@chefsbest.com
by e-mail.
A timely Response was received and determined
to be complete on October 31, 2007.
An Additional Submission was received from Complainant on November 10, 2007. The submission did not comply with Rule 7 because payment was received after the deadline. Furthermore, Complainant has not alleged the presence of any exceptional circumstances that would warrant consideration of additional submissions. The Panel has determined not to consider the Additional Submission.
On November 14, 2007,
pursuant to Complainant’s request to have the dispute decided by a three-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Q. Todd Dickinson,
David E. Sorkin, and Mark McCormick as Panelists.
ADDITIONAL PROCEDURAL HISTORY
This is a re-filed Complaint. It is a Complaint about a domain name that
was the subject of a previous complaint filed by the same Complainant in May
2007 against the same Respondent. In American Culinary ChefsBest v. Vertical
Axis, Inc. c/o Domain Administrator, No. FA0705000991959 (NAF August
22, 2007), the Panel denied relief because of Complainant’s failure to prove bad faith registration and
use of the <chefsbest.com> domain name pursuant to Policy
¶4(a)(iii). The Panel held that
Complainant had only submitted an allegation of bad faith in an unsigned Complaint
without any factual support or documentation sufficient to establish bad faith
under Policy ¶4(b).
Complainant subsequently filed the present
Complaint. Complainant recited that its
counsel inquired of the National Arbitration Forum Dispute Case Coordinator
regarding whether a re-filing to correct the "shortcomings" in the
original Complaint was barred under Forum rules and was informed that the rules
did not prohibit a new complaint from being filed. Complainant signed the re-filed Complaint and,
in support of its allegation of bad faith, Complainant asserted that a search
through Mark Monitor on or about August 24, 2007 demonstrated that Respondent
has registered and maintains well over 7,000 domain names, some of which appear
to be confusingly similar with known trademarks. Complainant alleges that each of these domain
names points to a webpage consisting of the same pay-per-click search engine
and/or links advertising goods or services in competition with the legitimate
trademark holder. Complainant relies on
this evidence as support for its allegation that Respondent has engaged in a
pattern of infringing famous trademarks demonstrating his bad faith in
similarly registering the <chefsbest.com> domain name.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant requests that the domain name be
transferred from Respondent to Complainant.
Respondent
contends that the Complaint should be dismissed because it does not constitute
a “truly new action” within the meaning of such cases as Trustees of the
Panels in prior cases have recognized four common-law grounds for the rehearing or reconsideration of a previously filed decision: (1) serious misconduct on the part of the judge, juror, witness or lawyer; (2) perjured evidence having been offered to the court; (3) the discovery of credible and material evidence which could not have been reasonably foreseen or known at trial; or (4) a breach of natural justice. See Grove Broad. Co. Ltd. v. Telesystems Commc’ns Ltd., D2000-0703 (WIPO Nov. 10, 2000). In addition, if a complaint alleges new conduct, the complaint may constitute a truly new action and not be barred. See Creo Prods. Inc. v. Website in Dev., supra. Otherwise, unless the complaint satisfies one of the four common-law grounds for the rehearing or reconsideration of a previously filed decision, the refiled complaint is barred by the doctrine of res judicata. Under that doctrine, a valid and personal judgment rendered in favor of the defendant bars another action by the plaintiff on the same claim. See Restatement (Second) of Judgments Second §19 (1982). Under the doctrine, an adjudication in a former suit between the same parties on the same claim is final as to all matters which could have been presented to the tribunal for determination. A party must litigate all matters growing out of its claim at one time and not in separate actions.
Complainant does not identify any of the commonly recognized common-law grounds for obtaining rehearing or reconsideration of a previously filed decision, nor does Complainant assert this is a truly new action. Complainant does assert that the Mark Monitor report showing Respondent’s more than 7,000 domain name registrations was “not readily available to Complainant at the time of the filing of the first complaint.” (Swartz Aff. ¶4). Notably, Complainant does not allege or attempt to prove that this information constituted evidence which could not have been reasonably foreseen or known at trial. Instead, Complainant cites Jones Apparel Group Inc. v. Jones Apparel Group.com, Case No. D2001-1041 (WIPO Oct. 16, 2001). The Jones Apparel case involved a re-filed complaint after the Complainant’s initial Complaint was denied because of the Complainant’s failure to adequately plead or prove trademark rights in the Jones Apparent Group trademark. The Jones Apparel panel determined that there was no prejudice to the respondent in allowing the filing of the second complaint. The panel held that the re-filed complaint would be entertained when:
· The first complaint failed for want of evidence that the complainant could and should have properly submitted in showing trademark rights;
· The panelist in the first complaint did not invite the complainant to rectify the omission under Rule 12;
· But at the same time indicated that “but for” that omission the panelist would have found against a clearly abusive respondent; and
· The respondent failed to respond either to the first complaint or to the re-filed second complaint.
Even assuming the Panel in the present case would follow the decision in Jones Apparel Group Inc., the present situation is plainly distinguishable. The Panel on the first Complaint did not indicate that but for Complainant’s procedural and evidentiary omissions, the Panelist would have found against the Respondent. In addition, this is a situation where Respondent did respond both to the first Complaint and to the re-filed Complaint.
Complainant has utterly failed to establish any ground to warrant rehearing or reconsideration of its Complaint. No basis exists in the record for finding that the Complainant could not have made the same search of the Mark Monitor report prior to bringing the first action that it made prior to bringing the second action. None of the common-law grounds exist, and Complainant has not alleged or shown that this is a “truly new action.”
The Panel finds that the Complaint is barred by the doctrine of res judicata.
REVERSE DOMAIN NAME HIGHJACKING
Respondent
alleges that Complainant has acted in bad faith and is engaging in reverse
domain name highjacking by initiating the present dispute. Under the
circumstances here, the question is whether Complainant lacked a colorable
claim but nevertheless refiled the Complaint as a means of attempting to wrest
the disputed domain name from Respondent.
See Labrada Bodybuilding
Nutrition, Inc. v. Glisson, FA 250232 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 28, 2004). Before re-filing the Complaint, Complainant
inquired of the Forum case coordinator regarding any prohibition in the Rules
against doing so and was told none existed.
Moreover, in re-filing the Complaint, the Complainant relied on Jones Apparel Group, Inc., supra, as
authority for allowing a complaint to be refiled in unique circumstances even
when the common-law grounds do not exist and the action is not new. Under this record, the Panel finds, by
majority vote, that Respondent has not established that Complainant acted in
bad faith in re-filing the Complaint.
DECISION
It is ordered that the Complaint be and is
dismissed. Respondent’s claim of reverse
domain name highjacking is denied.
Q. Todd Dickinson, David E. Sorkin and Mark
McCormick, Panelists
Dated: November 28, 2007
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