VeriSign, Inc. v. Apostolis Mikronis
Claim Number: FA0609000808203
Complainant is VeriSign, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Patrick
McGarry, of McGarry & McGarry, LLC,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <verisign.ro>, registered with Register.com.
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.
Louis E. Condon as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to
the National Arbitration Forum electronically on
On
On October 3, 2006, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of October 23, 2006 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@verisign.ro 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 <verisign.ro> domain name is identical to Complainant’s VERISIGN mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <verisign.ro> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <verisign.ro> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, VeriSign, Inc., offers a wide variety of technology and communications products and services under the VERSIGN mark, including digital identity certification products and services, secure e-commerce payment products and services, computer software, and other Internet-related products and services.
Complainant has registered the VERISIGN mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (Reg. No. 2,302,350 issued December 21, 1999)
Complainant alleges that Respondent registered the <verisign.ro> domain name in 2005 but it is unclear from the record whether this is the correct registration date. It appears from the WHOIS record that Respondent registered the disputed domain name in 2000. Nevertheless, Complainant’s trademark registration was issued in 1999, before either of the possible registration dates.
Respondent’s <verisign.ro> domain name does not resolve to an active website.
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 has established rights in the VERISIGN mark
through registration of the mark with the USPTO. See ESPN, Inc. v.
MySportCenter.com, FA 95326 (Nat. Arb. Forum
Because Respondent’s <verisign.ro> domain name
incorporates Complainant’s VERISIGN mark in its entirety and merely adds the
country code top-level domain (“ccTLD”) “.ro,” the Panel concludes that the
disputed domain name is identical to the mark under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Diners Club Int’l Ltd. v. Weber &
Partners Consult SRL, FA 676676 (Nat. Arb. Forum
The Panel concludes that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).
Complainant asserts that Respondent lacks rights and
legitimate interests in the <verisign.ro> domain name. Complainant must first make a prima facie case
in support of its allegations, and then the burden shifts to Respondent to show
it does have rights or legitimate interests pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). See
Document Tech., Inc. v. Int’l Elec. Commc’ns Inc., D2000-0270 (WIPO June 6,
2000) (“Although Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy requires that the Complainant
prove the presence of this element (along with the other two), once a
Complainant makes out a prima facie showing, the burden of production on
this factor shifts to the Respondent to rebut the showing by providing concrete
evidence that it has rights to or legitimate interests in the Domain Name.”); see
also Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web, D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000)
(holding that, where the complainant has asserted that the respondent has no
rights or legitimate interests with respect to the domain name, it is incumbent
on the respondent to come forward with concrete evidence rebutting this
assertion because this information is “uniquely within the knowledge and
control of the respondent”).
Respondent’s failure to answer the Complaint raises a
presumption that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the <verisign.ro>
name. See Am. Online, Inc. v. AOL
Int'l, D2000-0654 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (finding no rights or legitimate
interests where the respondent fails to respond); see also BIC Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG v. Tweed,
D2000-0418 (WIPO June 20, 2000) (“By not submitting a response, Respondent has
failed to invoke any circumstance which could demonstrate, pursuant to ¶ 4(c)
of the Policy, any rights or legitimate interests in the domain name”). However, the Panel
will now examine the record to determine if Respondent has rights or legitimate
interests under Policy ¶ 4(c).
Respondent has registered the domain name under the name “Apostolis Mikronis,” and there is no other
evidence in the record suggesting that Respondent is commonly known by the <verisign.ro>
domain name. Thus, Respondent has not
established rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name pursuant
to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii).
See M. Shanken Commc’ns v. WORLDTRAVELERSONLINE.COM, FA 740335
(Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 3, 2006) (finding that the respondent was not commonly
known by the <cigaraficionada.com> domain name under Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii)
based on the WHOIS information and other evidence in the record); see also Wells Fargo & Co. v. Onlyne Corp. Services11, Inc., FA 198969 (Nat. Arb. Forum
Respondent has not
used, nor made demonstrable preparations to use, the
<verisign.ro> domain name since registering it. In Bloomberg L.P. v. SC Media Services and Information SRL, FA 296583
(Nat. Arb. Forum
The Panel concludes that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).
The Panel concludes that Complainant has satisfied Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii).
Complainant having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief should be GRANTED.
Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <verisign.ro> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Louis E. Condon, Panelist
Dated: November 10, 2006
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