Navigator Yachts, Inc. v. TD Curran
Claim Number: FA0401000226452
PARTIES
Complainant
is Navigator Yachts, Inc. (“Complainant”),
represented by H. Joseph Calmbach, of Nelson - Hesse, 2070 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34237. Respondent is TD Curran (“Respondent”), represented by Gregory L. Kosanke, P.O. Box 632, Lynden, WA 98264.
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAMES
The
domain names at issue are <navigator-yachts.com>,
<navyachts.biz>, and <navyachts.net>,
registered with Network Solutions, Inc.
PANEL
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.
Edmund
P. Karem as Panelist.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant
submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum (the “Forum”)
electronically on January 15, 2004; the Forum received a hard copy of the
Complaint on January 15, 2004.
On
January 20, 2004, Network Solutions, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that
the domain names <navigator-yachts.com>, <navyachts.biz>, and <navyachts.net> are registered with Network Solutions, Inc., and
that the Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Network Solutions Inc. has verified that
Respondent is bound by the Network Solutions, 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
January 22, 2004, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of
Administrative Proceeding (the “Commencement Notification”), setting a deadline
of February 11, 2004 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@navigator-yachts.com, postmaster@navyachts.biz,
and postmaster@navyachts.net by e-mail.
A
timely Response was received and determined to be complete on February 6, 2004.
On February 19, 2004, pursuant to Complainant’s request
to have the dispute decided by a single-member
Panel, the Forum appointed Edmund P. Karem as
Panelist.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant
requests that the domain names be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.
PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS
A.
Complainant
Complainant
contends that the domain names registered by Respondent, <navigator-yachts.com>,
<navyachts.biz>, and <navyachts.net> are confusingly
similar to its registered trademark NAVIGATOR YACHTS, INC and the domain name
<navyachts.com> in which Complainant has rights. Complainant also contends that Respondent,
TD Curran, purchased a pleasure craft manufactured by Complainant and, when a
dispute regarding the warranty for the yacht did not resolve to Respondent’s
satisfaction that Respondent improperly created and registered the domain names
at issue.
It
is Complainant’s further contention that Respondent should be considered as
having no rights or legitimate interests in respect to the domain names because
the domain names were not intended to be used with a bona fide offering of
goods or services but rather solely for the purpose of publishing Respondent’s
dissatisfaction with the warranty service and the condition of the yacht.
Navigator
Yachts, Inc. also asserts that Respondent has not commonly been known by either
of the three domain names at issues and that the Respondent, TD Curran, has
also registered the domain name <tdcurran.com>, which is appropriately
associated with Respondent.
Complainant
also contends that Respondent is not making a legitimate non-commercial or fair
use of the domain names but rather are using them to tarnish Complainant’s
trademark and reputation.
The
registrations and use Complainant contends are in bad faith because the
registration was primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of
Complainant and the domain names are not being used in the ordinary course of
trade or business or to facilitate any exchange of goods, services, information
or property. It is Navigator Yachts,
Inc.’s position that Respondent is intentionally attempting to attract internet
users in order to disrupt the business of the Complainant and to publicize
Respondent’s personal views regarding Complainant’s warranty. The last claim of Complainant is that
Respondent registered the domain names for the purpose of selling or otherwise
transferring them to the Complainant alleging that a specific telephone
conversation took place between TD Curran and F. Steven Herb, a representative
for Complainant, on or about December 19, 2003 in which an offer to sell and
transfer the domain name was made.
B.
Respondent
Respondent
asserts that the domain name <navigator-yachts.com> would never be
confused with Complainant’s domain name <navyachts.com>. This assertion is based on the fact that
neither the word “navigator” nor the hyphen is included in the Complainant’s
domain name. Further Respondent asserts
“navigator” and “yachts” are commonly used words on the internet, and “Navy” is
a common nautical term associated with virtually every seafaring nation on
earth. Respondent claims it’s a common
practice in domain names to join names such as “Navy” and “Yachts” and to drop
a consonant in the joinder. With regard
to rights or legitimate interests the Respondent, Troy Curran, claims he
purchased a 53 foot yacht from the Complainant Navigator Yachts, Inc. for
$583,600. It was a new vessel and
represented to be sea-worthy and free of defects. Respondent was told by the broker that the warranty service of
the dealer was excellent, that the seller was reputable and took care of its
customers.
Respondent
states that following delivery of the vessel numerous defects were determined
to exist and were of such severity as to render the vessel un-seaworthy.
Respondent
wrote to the owner of Navigator Yachts, Inc. listing his complaints to which it
is contended there was no response. The
Respondent then had his attorney write a letter to the sales brokers who it is
claimed made verbal representations which have not been kept.
Respondent
then retained a marine surveyor who, in connection with a surveyor retained by
the broker prepared a marine survey report identifying significant problems with
the yacht which, Respondent claims, have not been resolved.
Respondent
alleges Navigator Yachts, Inc. told him or his representatives that their
yachts do not suffer from the type of problems that the Respondent was
incurring. The Respondent felt that
could not be so given the background of his vessel. The Respondent began to search for other Navigator owners and
located the owners of a Navigator 56’ and a Navigator 42’. These owners shared similar experiences
Respondent asserts and Respondent believes that therefore there were other
Navigator yacht owners that would have similar problems and that he registered
the domain names with the legitimate purpose of seeking information from other
Navigator Yacht owners to help get problems addressed.
Respondent
says he has no intention of using the domain for commercial gain or to
misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish Complainant’s domain name.
Lastly,
Respondent acknowledges there was a telephone conversation with F. Steven Herb
but denies offering him the domain names for sale. Respondent in fact asserts he told Mr. Herb that he had spent
quite a bit of money registering these domain names and was quite serious about
the issues with his boat.
Respondent
claims not to have registered the sites for the purpose of interfering with
Navigator Yachts, Inc.’s business but to gain information incident to a
legitimate dispute with Navigator Yachts.
DISCUSSION
Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain Name
Dispute Resolution Policy (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 and is being used in bad faith.
Complainant has rights in the NAVIGATOR
YACHTS, INC. mark. Complainant
registered the Navigator mark with the United States Patent and Trademark
office on May 5, 1998. The Registration
Number is 2,154,763 (Complainant’s Exhibit 1).
Registration of a mark is prima facie evidence of validity,
creating a rebuttable presumption that the mark is inherently distinctive. See Janus Int’l Holding Co. v. Rademacher, D2002-0201 (WIPO Mar. 5,
2002). One of the domain names in
issue, <navigator-yachts.com> is confusingly similar to
Complainant’s registered mark. The only
difference in the two names is the addition of a dash and the omission of
“Inc.” These differences are not significant
enough to distinguish the <navigator-yachts.com> domain name from
the NAVIGATOR YACHTS, INC. mark. See
Teleplace, Inc. v. De Oliveira, FA
95835 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 4, 2000). See
also Wellness Int’l Network, LTD v.
Apostolics.com, FA 96189 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 16, 2001). The differences between the other domain names
at issue, <navyachts.net> and <navyachts.biz> from
Complainant’s mark are slight. The
primary difference is the abbreviation of the word “navigation” to “nav” in the
domain name. The other differences
include the concatenation of the words “nav” and “yachts” and the omission of
the word “Inc.” The abbreviation,
concatenation, and omission are not significant enough to distinguish <navyachts.net>
and <navyachts.biz> from Complainant’s NAVIGATOR YACHTS, INC.
mark. See Modern Props, Inc. v. Wallis, FA 152458 (Nat. Arb. Forum June 2,
2003); see also Down East Enter. Inc. v.
Countywide Communications, FA 96613 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 5, 2001) which
found the domain name downeastmagazine.com confusingly similar to Complainant’s
common law mark DOWN EAST, THE MAGAZINE OF MAINE.
The arbitrator also notes that the
Respondent did not address the issue of confusion with the registered mark but
rather addressed its response to the fact that Respondent’s domain name of <navigator-yachts.com>
would never be confused with Complainant’s domain name
<navyachts.com>.
Respondent asserts and the arbitrator
finds that it is using the domain name to gain information incident to a
dispute with Complainant and that is a legitimate non-commercial or fair use
pursuant to policy section 4(c)(iii).
Most of Respondent’s evidence is intended to persuade the arbitrator
that there is in fact a legitimate dispute with Complainant concerning the condition
of the vessel purchased. That evidence
does lead the arbitrator to conclude that there is a legitimate controversy
between Respondent and Complainant regarding the condition of the newly
acquired yacht, its seaworthiness and the warranty service received by
Respondent.
“The goals of the policy are limited and
do not extend to insulating trademark holders from contrary and critical views
when such views are legitimately expressed without an intention for commercial
gain,” Legal & Gen. Group Plc v.
Image Plus, D2002-1019 (WIPO Dec. 30, 2002). In addition, see Pensacola
Christian Coll. v. Gage, FA 101314 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 12, 2001) which
found that Respondent had rights and legitimate interests in the domain name
incorporating Complainant’s name at which commentary and criticism of Complainant
are offered and which users are free to post messages about Complainant.
Respondent, while acknowledging a phone
conversation took place between he and F. Steven Herb, denied offering the
disputed domain names for sale.
Respondent’s claim is it is using the domain name to gain information
incident to its dispute with Complainant.
In Warner 2001 v. Larson, FA
95746 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 15, 2000), the Panel found that considering or
offering to sell a domain name is insufficient to amount to bad faith under the
policy. The domain name must be
registered primarily for the purpose of selling it to the owner of a trademark
for an amount in excess of out of pocket expenses. The totality of the evidence leads the arbitrator to conclude
that the primary purpose of the registration was not to offer the name for sale
to the Complainant for an amount in excess of out of pocket expenses.
DECISION
The
Complainant failed to establish the three elements required under the ICANN
policy and the panel concludes that therefore relief should be DENIED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the
complaint herein be dismissed and that there be no transfer of the domain names
<navigator-yachts.com>, <navyachts.biz>, and <navyachts.net>.
Edmund P. Karem, Panelist
Dated: March 4, 2004
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