DIRECTV, LLC v. The Pearline Group
Claim Number: FA1811001818749
Complainant is DIRECTV, LLC (“Complainant”), represented by Rob Leblanc, Texas, USA. Respondent is The Pearline Group (“Respondent”), Illinois, USA.
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <directtvdealsnow.com>, registered with GoDaddy.com, LLC.
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.
Paul M. DeCicco, as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the Forum electronically on November 29, 2018; the Forum received payment on November 29, 2018.
On November 30, 2018, GoDaddy.com, LLC confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name is registered with GoDaddy.com, LLC and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. GoDaddy.com, LLC has verified that Respondent is bound by the GoDaddy.com, LLC 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 4, 2018, the Forum served the Complaint and all Annexes, including a Written Notice of the Complaint, setting a deadline of December 24, 2018 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@directtvdealsnow.com. Also on December 4, 2018, 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 December 28, 2018, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed Paul M. DeCicco 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
Complainant contends as follows:
Complainant is one of the largest providers of digital television entertainment services and has been offering services under the DIRECTV mark since as early as 1994.
Complainant has rights in the DIRECTV mark through its registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”).
Respondent’s <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name is identical or confusingly similar to Complainant’s DIRECTV mark because Respondent merely adds the descriptive word “now”, the generic word “deals”, and the generic top-level domain name (“gTLD”) “.com” to Complainant’s mark.
Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name as Respondent is not authorized or licensed to use Complainant’s DIRECTV mark and is not commonly known by the disputed domain name. Additionally, Respondent does not use the disputed domain name to make a bona fide offering of goods or services or for a legitimate noncommercial or fair use. Rather, Respondent uses the disputed domain name to pass itself off as Complainant in furtherance of a phishing scheme.
Respondent registered and uses the <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name in bad faith. Specifically, Respondent uses the domain name to disrupt Complainant’s business and commercially benefit by passing itself off as Complainant in furtherance of a phishing scheme. Respondent also failed to respond to Complainant’s cease and desist letters. Finally, Respondent had actual knowledge of Complainant’s rights in the DIRECTV mark due to the fame of Complainant’s mark and as evidenced by Respondent’s copying of Complainant’s website.
B. Respondent
Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant has trademark rights in the DIRECTV mark.
Respondent registered the at-issue domain name after Complainant acquired rights in DIRECTV.
Respondent uses <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name to address a website that mimics Complainant’s website and passes itself off as Complainant in furtherance of a phishing scheme.
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 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 (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.”).
The at-issue domain name is confusingly similar to a trademark in which Complainant has rights.
Complainant’s ownership of a USPTO registration for DIRECTV demonstrate its rights in such mark for the purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Humor Rainbow, Inc. v. James Lee, FA 1626154 (Forum Aug. 11, 2015) (stating, “There exists an overwhelming consensus amongst UDRP panels that USPTO registrations are sufficient in demonstrating a complainant’s rights under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) and its vested interests in a mark. . . . Due to Complainant’s attached USPTO registration on the principal register …, the Panel agrees that it has sufficiently demonstrated its rights per Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).”).
Respondent’s domain name contains Complainant’s entire DIRECTV trademark followed by the suggestive terms “deals” and “now” (or “dealsnow”) all followed by the top level domain name “.com.” The differences between the at-issue domain name and Complainant’s trademark is insufficient to distinguish one from the other for the purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). Therefore, the Panel concludes that Respondent’s <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s AMAZON.COM trademark. See Microsoft Corporation v. Thong Tran Thanh, FA 1653187 (Forum Jan. 21, 2016) (determining that confusing similarity exists where [a disputed domain name] contains Complainant’s entire mark and differs only by the addition of a generic or descriptive phrase and top-level domain, the differences between the domain name and its contained trademark are insufficient to differentiate one from the other for the purposes of the Policy).
Under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii), Complainant must first make out a prima facie case showing that Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in respect of an at-issue domain name and then the burden, in effect, shifts to Respondent to come forward with evidence of its rights or legitimate interests. See Hanna-Barbera Prods., Inc. v. Entm’t Commentaries, FA 741828 (Forum Aug. 18, 2006). Since Respondent is not authorized to use Complainant’s trademark in any capacity and as discussed below there is no evidence supporting a finding pursuant to Policy 4(c) that Respondent has rights or interests in the at-issue domain name, Complainant’s prima facie showing acts conclusively.
WHOIS information for the at-issue domain name identifies the domain name’s registrant as “The Pearline Group.” The record before the Panel contains no evidence that might otherwise tend to prove that Respondent is commonly known by the at-issue domain name. The Panel therefore concludes that for the purposes of Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) Respondent is not commonly known by the at-issue domain name. See Navistar International Corporation v. N Rahmany, FA1505001620789 (Forum June 8, 2015) (finding that the respondent was not commonly known by the disputed domain name where the complainant had never authorized the respondent to incorporate its NAVISTAR mark in any domain name registration); see also, Coppertown Drive-Thru Sys., LLC v. Snowden, FA 715089 (Forum July 17, 2006) (concluding that the respondent was not commonly known by the <coppertown.com> domain name where there was no evidence in the record, including the WHOIS information, suggesting that the respondent was commonly known by the disputed domain name).
Additionally, Respondent uses the <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name to address a webpage pretending to be sponsored or affiliated with Complainant so that Respondent may pass itself off as Complainant. It does so to facilitate a phishing scheme whereby website visitors are directed to call a phone number that connects them with criminals posing as Complainant. The deceived visitors are then tricked into giving up sensitive personal information. Using the domain name in this manner is neither a bona fide offering of goods or services under Policy ¶4(c)(i), nor a non-commercial or fair use pursuant to Policy ¶4(c)(iii). See DaVita Inc. v. Cynthia Rochelo, FA 1738034 (Forum July 20, 2017) (”Passing off in furtherance of a phishing scheme is not considered a bona fide offering of goods or services or legitimate noncommercial or fair use.”).
Given the forgoing, Complainant satisfies its initial burden and conclusively demonstrates Respondent’s lack of rights and lack of legitimate interests in respect of the at-issue domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).
The at-issue domain name was registered and is being used in bad faith. As discussed below without limitation, Policy ¶ 4(b) bad faith circumstances are present and there is additional non-Policy ¶ 4(b) evidence from which the Panel may independently conclude that Respondent acted in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii).
First and as mentioned above regarding rights and legitimate interests, Respondent uses the at-issue domain name to address a website designed to pass for a website sponsored by Complainant so that Respondent may perpetrate a phishing scheme on unsuspecting third parties. Such use demonstrates bad faith under Policy ¶¶ 4(b)(iii) and (iv). See United States Postal Service v. kyle javier, FA 1787265 (Forum June 12, 2018) (“Complainant alleges that Respondent is using the disputed domain name to divert Internet users to Respondent’s website, which features content that is identical to Complainant’s own website. The Panel finds that Respondent is disrupting Complainant’s business and that Respondent registered and uses the disputed domain name in bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii).”); see also Bittrex, Inc. v. Caroline Alves Maia, FA 1796113 (Forum Aug. 6, 2018) (finding the respondent registered and used the domain name in bad faith per Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv) because the respondent used the disputed domain name to present users with a website that was “virtually identical, with the same color scheme, the same layout and the same substantive content” and used the website to gain access to users’ cryptocurrency accounts).
Finally, Respondent had actual knowledge of Complainant’s rights in the DIRECTV mark when it registered <directtvdealsnow.com>. Respondent’s actual knowledge is evident from the notoriety of Complainant’s trademark and from Respondent’s use of the <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name as discussed elsewhere herein. It is inconceivable that Respondent was unaware of Complainant’s renowned trademark when it registered its <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name. Registering and using a confusingly similar domain name with knowledge of Complainant’s rights in such domain name shows bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶4(a)(iii). See Minicards Vennootschap Onder FIrma Amsterdam v. Moscow Studios, FA 1031703 (Forum Sept. 5, 2007) (holding that respondent registered a domain name in bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii) after concluding that respondent had actual knowledge of Complainant's mark when registering the disputed domain name); see also, Univision Comm'cns Inc. v. Norte, FA 1000079 (Forum Aug. 16, 2007) (rejecting the respondent's contention that it did not register the disputed domain name in bad faith since the panel found that the respondent had knowledge of the complainant's rights in the UNIVISION mark when registering the disputed domain name); see also, Twitter, Inc. v. accueil des solutions inc, D2013-0062 (WIPO April 1, 2013) (“where a domain name is so obviously connected with a well-known product or service, its very use by someone with no connection with the product may suggest opportunistic bad faith”);
Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <directtvdealsnow.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Paul M. DeCicco, Panelist
Dated: December 30, 2018
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