national arbitration
forum
Council for Refractive
Surgery Quality Assurance a nonprofit
Claim Number: FA0812001237910
PARTIES
Complainant is Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance a nonprofit
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <usaeyes.us>, registered with Godaddy.com,
Inc.
PANEL
The undersigned, Daniel B. Banks, Jr., 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.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum
(the “Forum”) electronically on December 10,
2008; the Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on December 22, 2008.
On December 10, 2008, Godaddy.com, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the
Forum that the domain name <usaeyes.us> is registered with Godaddy.com, Inc. and that Respondent is the
current registrant of the name. Godaddy.com, Inc. has verified that Respondent
is bound by the Godaddy.com, Inc.
registration agreement and has thereby agreed to resolve domain-name disputes
brought by third parties in accordance with the U. S. Department of Commerce’s
usTLD Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Policy”).
On December 23, 2008, a
Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the
“Commencement Notification”), setting a deadline of January 12, 2009 by which
Respondent could file a Response to the Complaint, was transmitted to
Respondent in compliance with Paragraph 2(a) of the Rules for usTLD Dispute
Resolution Policy (the “Rules”).
A timely Response was received and determined to be complete on December 29, 2008.
On January 5, 2009, pursuant to Complainant’s
request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum
appointed Daniel B. Banks, Jr., as Panelist.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from
Respondent to Complainant.
PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS
A. Complainant
Complainant is a non-profit, non-governmental Lasik patient advocacy
providing patient related services including, but not limited to, physician
certification, physician information, patient advocacy, consumer alert, and
dissemination of health related information.
Complainant is commonly known as USAEyes.
Complainant has published a website at the domain USAEYES.ORG since
November 1998 and has owned the domain USAEYES.COM since January 2000. Visitors to the USAEYES.COM site are
redirected to the USAEYES.ORG domain.
Complainant applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for
registration of the USAEYES mark on November 9, 2006 and received registration
on October 9, 2007. Complainant also
claims a common law trademark by virtue of continuous use of the mark since
1998.
Complainant’s principal officer is Glenn Hagele who has maintained a
toll-free number at 1-800-USA-EYES since 1984.
That phone number was transferred to Complainant in 1997 and is
currently Complainant’s toll-free telephone number.
The USAEYES mark has been used to identify Complainant in news articles
in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, National Public
Health Radio, U.S. News & World Report, O! The Oprah Magazine and other
media.
Complainant applied to the HealthOnTheNet Foundation for accreditation
of the USAEYES website in late 2005 with initial accreditation review beginning
July 26, 2006 and full accreditation on July 28, 2007.
The disputed domain name is identical and confusingly similar to the
USAEYES trademark and the USAEYES.ORG and USAEYES.COM domains owned and
actively used by Complainant since 1998 and 2000 respectively.
Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the
domain name. He purchased the
USAEYES.BIZ, USAEYES.INFO and USAEYES.NET domain names in October of 2006 and
began publishing a website at USAEYES.INFO in November 2006. He subsequently caused visitors to
USAEYES.BIZ, USAEYES.NET and USAEYES.US to be redirected to USAEYES.INFO.
Respondent announced the use of Complainant’s trademark and identical
domain as public postings in the alt.lasik-eyes Usenet newsgroup. He claimed that “The National Arbitration
Forum rejected Glenn Hagele’s demand that he be awarded the use of USAEyes.us
domain name.” That is not true as this
is the first and only arbitration of the USAEYES.US domain.
On December 6, 2007, Complainant filed National Arbitration Forum (NAF)
Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) arbitration, case
FA0712001118174 against Respondent Brent Hanson. On February 7, 2008, the panel in that case
found that the USAEYES.BIZ, USAEYES.INFO and USAEYES.NET domains were identical
and/or confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark; that Respondent has no rights
or legitimate interests in the domains; and, that Respondent’s registration and
use was in bad faith. Accordingly, it
was ordered that domains be transferred to Complainant. On the day those transfers were completed,
Respondent began publishing the same website at USAEYES.US.
Respondent offers no bona fide
goods or services at the disputed domain name; he is not commonly known by that
name; and, he is causing confusion and taking unfair advantage of the
reputation, recognition and good will of the USAEYES trademark. His use is not a legitimate non-commercial or
fair use of the domain name but is a deliberate calculated bad faith attempt to
tarnish the trademark at issue, cause confusion, misdirect Internet users and
take unfair advantage of the USAEYES trade mark of Complainant.
The domain name at issue was registered and is being used in bad
faith. The primary purpose of
Respondent’s use is to harass, defame, threaten, cause financial harm and to
disrupt the function of Complainant. He
has a long history of abusive use of domains in his attempt to cause harm to
his targets and confusion in the public.
He has harassed, cyber-stalked, defamed and invaded the privacy of
Complainant’s founder, Glenn Hagele resulting in litigation by Glenn Hagele
against Respondent. He has published the
personal identity of Glenn Hagele, including his Social Security number,
driver’s license number, bank account numbers and credit card numbers. He purchased the domain GLENNHAGELE.COM in
March 2004 and published derogatory and defaming statements about Glenn Hagele.
In November, 2004, Mr. Hagele retrieved
the domain without arbitration.
Respondent’s use of the disputed domain name has created confusion with
Complainant’s mark. He has employed meta
tag information including the title “USAEYES-Glenn Hagele-Executive Director”
to confuse Internet users that Glenn Hagele is affiliated with Respondent’s
website. He has published on his website
a list of “Surgeons endorsed by Glenn Hagele” that included surgeons who have
been de-certified by Complainant and surgeons who have never been
certified. He employed exactly the same
techniques of domain abuse and harassment in Washington CeaseFire v. Private Registration, NAF claim number
FA0705000985159. Immediately after the
Forum decided to transfer the <washingtonceasefire.com> from Respondent,
he moved the offending website to <washingtonceasefire.net>.
There is other litigation brought by Glenn Hagele against Respondent
Brent Hanson for defamation and invasion of privacy. This was filed by Glenn Hagele as an
individual and not on behalf of Complainant and is not relevant to this case. Complainant has filed a small claims case
against Respondent to recover costs associated with the prior NAF arbitration
but such is not relevant to this case.
The prior NAF arbitration and subsequent determination to transfer
domains USAEYES.BIZ, USAEYES.INFO and USAEYES.NET from Respondent to
Complainant is virtually identical to this complaint.
B. Respondent
The Respondent’s submission attacks Complainant and Glenn Hagele. Respondent has supplied a list of various
actions taken by Complainant which are not relevant to the dispute which has to
be decided in this case. Accordingly,
the Panel disregards the diverse allegations made unless they are relevant to
the matters which have to be decided under the Policy.
Respondent claims that the disputed domain name is not identical or
confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark in that it is impossible for visitors
to be confused into thinking they are visiting Complainant’s web site. The disputed domain is used to openly
criticize Complainant. Furthermore, the
site encourages visitors to visit Complainants usaeyes.org site for
verification of criticisms made.
Respondent claims rights and legitimate interests in the disputed
domain name because he is making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the
domain name without intent for commercial gain or to tarnish the mark. He claims that the sole purpose of his
website is to provide verifiable, factual information about complainant’s
enterprise. Also, there is a significant
social value in permitting supporters of an organization to express their
support and appreciation as part of their First Amendment rights.
Respondent claims he has not registered the disputed domain name in bad
faith. He has not offered to sell the
domain name but has simply acquired the domain name for the purpose of educating
the public regarding the Complainant’s enterprise.
Complainant has no legitimate interest in obtaining USAEYES.US. The National Arbitration Forum (NAF)
previously transferred ownership of that domain name from Respondent to
Complainant who then used the domain name for the sole purpose of publishing
the decision of NAF rather than to promote his enterprise. Based on the history of Complainant, his sole
purpose in obtaining USAYEYES.US is to publish the decision of NAF in this
case.
FINDINGS
Complainant referenced two court proceedings between Complainant and Respondent that are currently pending. Specifically, Complainant alleges that: (1) an individual action by Complainant’s owner has been filed against Respondent for defamation and invasion of privacy; and (2) a small claims action has been filed by Complainant against Respondent to recover arbitration filing costs in connection with a previous UDRP arbitration. Complainant alleges that neither of these actions has any relevancy with regards to the instant UDRP proceedings. The Panel finds that these court actions do not have any effect on the current case and decides to proceed with the instant arbitration proceeding despite the ongoing legal cases between the two parties. See Creative Paradox LLC v. Talk Am., FA 155175 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 23, 2003) (choosing to proceed with a decision under the authority of Rule 18(a), despite the filing of a lawsuit over the parties respective trademark rights in federal court).
Complainant and Respondent make numerous allegations against each other of criminal activity, including fraud and harassment. These arguments will be addressed only to the extent, if any, that they are applicable to the elements analyzed under the UDRP. Some of these arguments may be addressed in the court proceedings between the two parties and may therefore be disregarded by the Panel when deliberating in this case.
After consideration of the matters
submitted, the panel finds as follows:
1 – The disputed domain name is identical to the trademark in which the
Complainant has rights
2 – The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of
the domain name.
3 – The domain name was registered and is being used in bad faith.
DISCUSSION
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 the 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 the Respondent is identical or
confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has
rights;
(2) the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of
the domain name; and
(3) the domain name has been registered or is being used in bad faith.
Given the similarity between the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution
Policy (“UDRP”) and the usTLD Policy, the Panel will draw upon UDRP precedent
as applicable in rendering its decision.
Identical and/or Confusingly Similar
Complainant has rights in the
USAEYES mark by virtue of its trademark registration with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (Reg. No. 3,305,471 issued October 9,
2007). The Panel finds that this
trademark registration adequately confers rights in the USAEYES mark to
Complainant pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).
See Mason Cos., Inc. v. Chan,
FA 1216166 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 4, 2008) (“The Panel also concludes that
Complainant’s trademark registration of its mark provides ample basis to
conclude that it has rights in the mark.”); see
also Enter. Rent-A-Car Co. v. David Mizer Enters., Inc., FA 622122 (Nat.
Arb. Forum Apr. 14, 2006) (finding that the complainant’s registration with the
USPTO for the
In addition to its trademark
rights, Complainant also has common law rights in the USAEYES mark dating back
to 1998. Complainant has used the mark
since that time to identify its vision correction surgery and eye care patient
advocacy services, physician information, eye health information, and other
health-related information and services.
Complainant’s predecessor used the 1-800-USA-EYES toll-free telephone
number since 1984, and Complainant acquired control over this telephone number
in 1997. In its Exhibits with the
Complaint, Complainant provides excerpts from the Wall Street Journal, New York
Times, Washington Post, National
Public Radio, US News & World
Report, CNN, and O! Magazine that reference Complainant’s
business. Complainant has operated the
<usaeyes.org> and <usaeyes.com> domain names since 1998 and 2000,
respectively, and its website received accreditation from the HealthOnTheNet
Foundation on July 28, 2007. Based on
this evidence, the Panel concludes that Complainant has sufficiently
established secondary meaning in the USAEYES mark to confer common law rights
in the mark to Complainant dating back to 1998 pursuant to Policy ¶
4(a)(i). See Stellar
Call Ctrs. Pty Ltd. v. Bahr,
FA 595972 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 19, 2005) (finding that the complainant
established common law rights in the STELLAR CALL CENTRES mark because the
complainant demonstrated that its mark had acquired secondary meaning); see also George
Weston Bakeries Inc. v. McBroom, FA
933276 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 25, 2007) (finding that the complainant could
establish common law rights in its GW BAKERIES mark through consistent and
continuous use of the mark, which helped the mark become distinctive and
generate “significant goodwill”).
Complainant
contends that the <usaeyes.us> domain
name contains its USAEYES mark in its entirety and merely adds the country-code top-level
domain (“ccTLD”) “.us.” The Panel finds
this addition insignificant under an analysis of the Policy and therefore
concludes that Respondent’s <usaeyes.us>
domain name is identical to Complainant’s USAEYES mark pursuant to Policy ¶
4(a)(i). See Lifetouch, Inc. v.
Fox Photographics, FA 414667 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 21, 2005) (finding the
respondent’s <lifetouch.us> domain name to be identical to the
complainant’s LIFETOUCH mark because “[t]he addition of “.us” to a mark fails
to distinguish the domain name from the mark pursuant to the Policy”); see also Tropar Mfg. Co. v. TSB, FA 127701 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 4,
2002) (finding that since the addition of the country-code “.us” fails to add
any distinguishing characteristic to the domain name, the <tropar.us>
domain name is identical to the complainant’s TROPAR mark).
Rights or
Legitimate Interests
The Respondent is using the <usaeyes.us> domain name to criticize and harass Complainant, and
to tarnish Complainant’s USAEYES mark.
Respondent previously used the <usaeyes.biz>,
<usaeyes.info>, and <usaeyes.net> domain names in a similar manner,
and the UDRP panel in that case found that Respondent lacked rights and
legitimate interests in those domain names.
See Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance, a
nonprofit
Registration and Use in Bad Faith
This panel also adopts the reasoning of the panel in the previous case
regarding bad faith registration and use. Complainant contends that
Respondent’s website resolving from the <usaeyes.us> domain name “has created
confusion with Complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation,
or endorsement of Respondent’s web site or location of a service on
Respondent’s website.” Based on this
contention and the evidence in the record, the Panel finds that Respondent
registered and is using the <usaeyes.us>
domain name in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv). See AOL
LLC v. iTech Ent, LLC, FA 726227
(Nat. Arb.) Forum July 21, 2006) (finding that the respondent took advantage of
the confusing similarity between the <theotheraol.com> and
<theotheraol.net> domain names and the complainant’s AOL mark, which
indicates bad faith registration and use pursuant to UDRP ¶ 4(b)(iv)); see also Tower Labs. Ltd. v. Seltzer, FA
791325 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 16, 2006) (concluding that the respondent
registered and was using the <bromoseltzer.com> domain name in bad faith
because it displayed a logo similar to the complainant’s BROMO SELTZER mark,
which was likely to confuse the public as to the source of the material
exhibited at the respondent’s website).
The Panel also finds that
Respondent’s use of the <usaeyes.us> domain name to display a
website criticizing Complainant and its business activities indicates bad faith
registration or use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii). See Diners
Club Int’l, Ltd. v. Infotechnics Ltd.,
FA 169085 (Nat. Arb. Forum
Aug. 20, 2003) (“Respondent’s registration and use of a domain name
nearly identical to Complainant’s mark to criticize Complainant’s business
practices is evidence of registration and use of the <diners-club.net>
domain name in bad faith pursuant to [UDRP] ¶ 4(a)(iii).”); see also Nw. Airlines, Inc. v. Jorgenson,
FA 96586 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 28, 2001) (“Respondent
registered the domain name for the purpose of bringing Internet users desiring
to learn more about Complainant to Respondent's site for the intended purpose
of publishing contrary and critical views of Complainant thus disrupting the
business of Complainant. Registering a domain name identical with the mark of
Complainant, for this purpose, is bad faith.”).
DECISION
Having established all three elements required under the usTLD Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <usaeyes.us> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Daniel B. Banks, Jr., panelist
January 19, 2009
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