Mattel, Inc. v. Domain Park Limited
Claim Number: FA0803001164348
Complainant is Mattel, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Nikitas
E. Nicolakis, of Dunnegan LLC,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <letsplaybarbie.com>, registered with Moniker Online Services, 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 National Arbitration Forum electronically on
On
On March 21, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of April 10, 2008 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@letsplaybarbie.com by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On
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 <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s BARBIE mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Mattel, Inc., is in
the business of offering dolls, toys and other accessories for children. Complainant uses the BARBIE mark in
connection with this business and registered the mark with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on
Respondent, Domain Park
Limited, registered the disputed domain name <letsplaybarbie.com> on
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’s trademark registration with the USPTO sufficiently establishes Complainant’s rights in the BARBIE mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Innomed Techs., Inc. v. DRP Servs., FA 221171 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 18, 2004) (“Registration of the NASAL-AIRE mark with the USPTO establishes Complainant's rights in the mark.”); see also Janus Int’l Holding Co. v. Rademacher, D2002-0201 (WIPO Mar. 5, 2002) ("Panel decisions have held that registration of a mark is prima facie evidence of validity, which creates a rebuttable presumption that the mark is inherently distinctive.").
The Panel finds that Respondent’s <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name is confusingly similar to
Complainant’s BARBIE mark under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) as it
contains Complainant’s entire mark and adds the generic phrase “let’s play”
which has an obvious relationship to Complainant’s business as a leading
children’s toy company. Accordingly,
Respondent’s disputed domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark
under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Oki Data Ams., Inc. v. ASD, Inc.,
D2001-0903 (WIPO Nov. 6, 2001) (“[T]he fact that a domain name wholly
incorporates a Complainant’s registered mark is sufficient to establish
identity [sic] or confusing similarity for purposes of the Policy despite the
addition of other words to such marks”); see
also Space Imaging LLC v. Brownell,
AF-0298 (eResolution Sept. 22, 2000) (finding confusing similarity where the
respondent’s domain name combines the complainant’s mark with a generic term that
has an obvious relationship to the complainant’s business).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant initially must establish that Respondent lacks
rights and legitimate interests with respect to the <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name. However, once Complainant makes a prima facie case, the burden of proof
shifts, and Respondent must prove that it has rights or legitimate interests in
the disputed domain name. The Panel
finds that Complainant has established a prima
facie case. See Compagnie Generale des
Matieres Nucleaires v. Greenpeace Int’l, D2001-0376 (WIPO
Respondent is using the <letsplaybarbie.com>
domain name to display hyperlinks to a parked page with a list of third-party
websites, some of which are in direct competition with Complainant. The Panel infers that Respondent is using the
disputed domain name to earn click-through fees, and thus finds that Respondent
has not made 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 TM Acquisition Corp. v.
Sign Guards, FA 132439 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 31, 2002)
(finding that the respondent’s diversionary use of the complainant’s marks to
send Internet users to a website which displayed a series of links, some of
which linked to the complainant’s competitors, was not a bona fide
offering of goods or services); see also
Wells Fargo & Co. v. Lin Shun Shing, FA 205699 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 8, 2003) (finding that
using a domain name to direct Internet traffic to a website featuring pop-up
advertisements and links to various third-party websites is neither a bona
fide offering of goods or services under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i)
nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use under Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii) because the
registrant presumably receives compensation for each misdirected Internet
user).
Additionally, Respondent’s
WHOIS information does not indicate that Respondent is commonly known by the <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name
and there is no other evidence in the record to suggest that Respondent is
commonly known by the disputed domain name.
Moreover, Complainant asserts that Respondent is not authorized to use
Complainant’s BARBIE mark. In Gallup, Inc. v. Amish Country Store, FA 96209 (Nat. Arb. Forum
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Based on the uncontested evidence presented by Complainant,
the Panel finds that Respondent receives click-through fees for the hyperlinks
displayed on the website that resolves from the <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name. The Panel also finds that Respondent’s
disputed domain name is capable of creating a likelihood of confusion as to
Complainant’s sponsorship and affiliation with the disputed domain name and
corresponding website. Such commercial
benefit constitutes bad faith registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv). See Am. Univ. v. Cook, FA 208629 (Nat.
Arb. Forum Dec. 22, 2003) (“Registration and use of a domain name that
incorporates another's mark with the intent to deceive Internet users in regard
to the source or affiliation of the domain name is evidence of bad faith.”); see also Associated Newspapers Ltd.
v. Domain Manager, FA 201976 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 19, 2003) (“Respondent's
prior use of the <mailonsunday.com> domain name is evidence of bad faith
pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv) because the domain name provided links to
Complainant's competitors and Respondent presumably commercially benefited from
the misleading domain name by receiving ‘click-through-fees.’”).
Moreover, the Panel finds that
Respondent is using the <letsplaybarbie.com>
domain name to redirect Internet users to a website that contains third-party
hyperlinks, some of which are in direct competition with Complainant. Such use constitutes a disruption of
Complainant’s business and qualifies as bad faith registration and use under
Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii).
See Puckett, Individually v. Miller, D2000-0297 (WIPO June 12, 2000)
(finding that the respondent has diverted business from the complainant to a
competitor’s website in violation of Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii));
see also EBAY, Inc. v. MEOdesigns,
D2000-1368 (WIPO Dec. 15, 2000) (finding that the respondent registered and
used the domain name <eebay.com> in bad faith where the respondent has
used the domain name to promote competing auction sites).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii) has been satisfied.
Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <letsplaybarbie.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Sandra J. Franklin, Panelist
Dated: April 30, 2008
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