Claim Number: FA1002001307884
Complainant is Fredericks of Hollywood Group, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by CitizenHawk, Inc.,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <frdericksofhollywood.com>, registered with Bargin Register, Inc.
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.
Honorable Karl V. Fink (Ret.) as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on February 12, 2010; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on February 16, 2010.
On February 25, 2010, Bargin Register, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <frdericksofhollywood.com> domain name is registered with Bargin Register, Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Bargin Register, Inc. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Bargin Register, 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 February 26, 2010, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of March 18, 2010 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@frdericksofhollywood.com by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On March 29, 2010, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Honorable Karl V. Fink (Ret.) 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
<frdericksofhollywood.com>
domain name is identical/confusingly similar to Complainant’s
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <frdericksofhollywood.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <frdericksofhollywood.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Frederick’s of Hollywood Group Inc., uses its
FREDERICK’S OF HOLLYWOOD and related marks in association with its retail and
mail order services specializing in women’s clothing, lingerie, undergarments,
cosmetics and accessories. Complainant
owns multiple trademark registrations with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for the
Respondent, Telecom Tech
Corp., registered the <frdericksofhollywood.com> domain
name on October 3, 2005. Respondent’s disputed domain name redirects
Internet users to a directory website displaying various third-party links,
some of which offer products and services that compete with Complainant.
Respondent is a serial cybersquatter who has been the respondent in at least two other UDRP proceedings in which the respective disputed domain names were transferred to the respective complainants. See, e.g., See Allen Tate Co. Inc. v. Telecom Tech Corp., FA 1278777 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 29, 2009); American Airlines, Inc. v. Telecom Tech Corp., FA 1224015 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 29, 2008).
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.
Complainant owns multiple trademarks for the
Complainant asserts that Respondent’s frdericksofhollywood.com> domain name is
confusingly similar to Complainant’s FREDERICK’S OF HOLLYWOOD mark pursuant to
Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). Respondent’s disputed
domain name deletes a letter from Complainant’s mark, deletes the apostrophe
and spaces between words, and adds the generic top-level domain (“gTLD”)
“.com.” The Panel finds these
alterations fail to differentiate the disputed domain name from Complainant’s
mark. Therefore, the Panel finds that
Respondent’s disputed domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s
The Panel finds Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant alleges that Respondent lacks rights to and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. Once Complainant makes a prima facie case, the burden of proof shifts to Respondent to demonstrate that it does have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name, pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c). The Panel finds that Complainant established a prima facie case in these proceedings. Since Respondent failed to respond to the allegations against it, the Panel may assume that Respondent lacks any rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. The Panel, however, elects to consider the evidence in the record in light of the Policy ¶ 4(c) factors to determine if the evidence suggests that Respondent has such rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. See Intel Corp. v. Macare, FA 660685 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 26, 2006) (finding that “complainant must first make a prima facie case that [the] respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain names under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii), and then the burden shifts to [the] respondent to show it does have rights or legitimate interests.”); see also Am. Express Co. v. Fang Suhendro, FA 129120 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 30, 2002) (“[B]ased on Respondent’s failure to respond, it is presumed that Respondent lacks all rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name.”)
Complainant contends that Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name. The WHOIS information lists the registrant of the disputed domain name as “Telecom Tech Corp.,” which is dissimilar to the disputed domain name. Additionally, no evidence indicates the Respondent is commonly known by the disputed domain name. Therefore, under Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) the Panel finds Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name. See IndyMac Bank F.S.B. v. Eshback, FA 830934 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 7, 2006) (finding that the respondent failed to establish rights and legitimate interests in the <emitmortgage.com> domain name as the respondent was not authorized to register domain names featuring the complainant’s mark and failed to submit evidence that it is commonly known by the disputed domain name); see also Braun Corp. v. Loney, FA 699652 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 7, 2006) (concluding that the respondent was not commonly known by the disputed domain names where the WHOIS information, as well as all other information in the record, gave no indication that the respondent was commonly known by the disputed domain names, and the complainant had not authorized the respondent to register a domain name containing its registered mark).
Respondent’s disputed domain name redirects Internet users
to a website listing various links for products and third-party websites, some
of which compete with Complainant’s business.
The Panel finds this use of the disputed domain name does not constitute
a bona fide offering of goods or
services under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) or a legitimate
noncommercial or fair use of the disputed domain name under Policy ¶
4(c)(iii). See Bank
of Am. Fork v. Shen, FA 699645 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 11,
2006) (finding that the respondent’s use of a domain name to redirect Internet
users to websites unrelated to a complainant’s mark is not a bona fide
use under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i)); see also
Constellation Wines U.S., Inc. v.
Complainant alleges Respondent is capitalizing on a simple
misspelling of Complainant’s
The Panel finds Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Complainant contends Respondent is a serial cybersquatter and provides evidence Respondent has been respondent in other UDRP proceedings, wherein the disputed domain names were ordered to be transferred from Respondent to the respective complainants in those cases. See Allen Tate Co. Inc. v. Telecom Tech Corp., FA 1278777 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 29, 2009); see also Am. Airlines, Inc. v. Telecom Tech Corp., FA 1224015 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 29, 2008). The Panel finds Respondent has therefore engaged in a pattern of bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(ii). See Arai Helmet Americas, Inc. v. Goldmark, D2004-1028 (WIPO Jan. 22, 2005 (finding that “Respondent has registered the disputed domain name, <aria.com>, to prevent Complainant from registering it” and taking notice of another Policy proceeding against the respondent to find that “this is part of a pattern of such registrations”); see also Armstrong Holdings, Inc. v. JAZ Assocs., FA 95234 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 17, 2000) (finding that the respondent violated Policy ¶ 4(b)(ii) by registering multiple domain names that infringe upon others’ famous and registered trademarks).
Respondent’s disputed domain name resolves to a website containing links to third-party websites, some of which compete with Complainant. The Panel finds this use constitutes a disruption of Complainant’s business, which is evidence of bad faith registration and use 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 Tesco Pers. Fin. Ltd. v. Domain Mgmt. Servs., FA 877982 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 13, 2007) (concluding that the use of a confusingly similar domain name to attract Internet users to a directory website containing commercial links to the websites of a complainant’s competitors represents bad faith registration and use under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii)).
Respondent’s simple misspelling of Complainant’s mark in the disputed domain name is intended to attract Internet users seeking Complainant’s products. When the Internet users are diverted to Respondent’s website and then click on any of the third-party links, the Respondent presumably receives compensation in the form of “click-through” fees. The Panel finds Respondent’s use of the disputed domain name incorporating Complainant’s mark for Respondent’s financial gain, is evidence of 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 Univ. of Houston Sys. v. Salvia Corp., FA 637920 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 21, 2006) (“Respondent is using the disputed domain name to operate a website which features links to competing and non-competing commercial websites from which Respondent presumably receives referral fees. Such use for Respondent’s own commercial gain is evidence of bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).”).
The Panel has previously concluded that Respondent is engaged in the practice of typosquatting through the use of the confusingly similar disputed domain name. The Panel finds Respondent’s typosquatting is evidence standing alone of 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 Dermalogica, Inc. v. Domains to Develop, FA 175201 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 22, 2003) (finding that the <dermatologica.com> domain name was a “simple misspelling” of the complainant’s DERMALOGICA mark which indicated typosquatting and bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii)).
The Panel finds 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 <frdericksofhollywood.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Honorable Karl V. Fink (Ret.), Panelist
Dated: April 12, 2010
Click Here to return to the main Domain Decisions Page.
Click Here to return to our Home Page
National
Arbitration Forum