Johnson & Johnson v.
Claim Number: FA0801001128979
Complainant is Johnson & Johnson (“Complainant”) represented by Norm
D. St. Landau, of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP,
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN
NAME
The domain name at issue is <onetouchglucosemonitor.com>, registered with Intercosmos Media Group, Inc. d/b/a Directnic.com.
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.
Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., as Panelist.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on January 10, 2008; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on January 11, 2008.
On January 11, 2008, Intercosmos Media Group, Inc. d/b/a Directnic.com confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name is registered with Intercosmos Media Group, Inc. d/b/a Directnic.com and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Intercosmos Media Group, Inc. d/b/a Directnic.com has verified that Respondent is bound by the Intercosmos Media Group, Inc. d/b/a Directnic.com 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 15, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of February 4, 2008 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@onetouchglucosemonitor.com by e-mail.
Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.
On February 8, 2008, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., 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 <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s ONE TOUCH mark.
2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name.
3. Respondent registered and used the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name in bad faith.
B. Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.
Complainant, Johnson & Johnson, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Lifescan, Inc., has used the ONE TOUCH mark in association with its test strips and blood glucose testing products. Complainant owns several registrations for the ONE TOUCH mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (i.e. Reg. No. 1,484,999 issued April 19, 1988).
Respondent registered the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name on January 1, 2006. Respondent’s disputed domain name resolves to a website containing links to third-party websites offering products in direct competition with Complainant.
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.
Registration with the USPTO establishes rights in Complainant’s ONE TOUCH mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Janus Int’l Holding Co. v. Rademacher, D2002-0201 (WIPO Mar. 5, 2002) ("Panel decisions have held that registration of a mark is prima facie evidence of validity, which creates a rebuttable presumption that the mark is inherently distinctive."); see also Vivendi Universal Games v. XBNetVentures Inc., FA 198803 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 11, 2003) (“Complainant's federal trademark registrations establish Complainant's rights in the BLIZZARD mark.”).
Complainant contends Respondent’s <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s ONE
TOUCH mark. Respondent’s domain name
contains Complainant’s mark, adds two generic terms relating to Complainant’s
business and adds the generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) “.com.” The Panel holds that a domain name which
contains a complainant’s mark and adds generic terms with an obvious and direct
relationship to a complainant’s business is confusingly similar pursuant to
Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). See Space Imaging LLC v. Brownell, AF-0298
(eResolution Sept. 22, 2000) (finding confusing similarity where the
respondent’s domain name combines the complainant’s mark with a generic term
that has an obvious relationship to the complainant’s business); see also L.L. Bean, Inc. v.
ShopStarNetwork, FA 95404 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 14, 2000) (finding that
combining the generic word “shop” with the complainant’s registered mark
“llbean” does not circumvent the complainant’s rights in the mark nor avoid the
confusing similarity aspect of the ICANN Policy). In addition, the Panel holds that the
addition of a gTLD is irrelevant when distinguishing a mark from a disputed
domain name. See Entrepreneur Media, Inc. v. Smith, 279 F.3d 1135, 1146 (9th
Cir. 2002) (“Internet users searching for a company’s Web site often assume, as
a rule of thumb, that the domain name of a particular company will be the
company name or trademark followed by ‘.com.’”); see also Rollerblade, Inc. v. McCrady, D2000-0429 (WIPO June
25, 2000) (finding that the top level of the domain name such as “.net” or
“.com” does not affect the domain name for the purpose of determining whether
it is identical or confusingly similar).
Therefore, the Panel finds the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com>
domain name
confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.
Complainant contends that Respondent lacks all rights and legitimate interests in the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name. Once Complainant makes a prima facie case in support of its allegations, the burden shifts to Respondent to prove that it has rights or legitimate interests pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). The Panel finds that in this case Complainant has established a prima facie case. See Compagnie Generale des Matieres Nucleaires v. Greenpeace Int’l, D2001-0376 (WIPO May 14, 2001) (“Proving that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Domain Name requires the Complainant to prove a negative. For the purposes of this sub paragraph, however, it is sufficient for the Complainant to show a prima facie case and the burden of proof is then shifted on to the shoulders of Respondent. In those circumstances, the common approach is for respondents to seek to bring themselves within one of the examples of paragraph 4(c) or put forward some other reason why they can fairly be said to have a relevant right or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name in question.”); see also Clerical Med. Inv. Group Ltd. v. Clericalmedical.com, D2000-1228 (WIPO Nov. 28, 2000) (finding that, under certain circumstances, the mere assertion by the complainant that the respondent has no right or legitimate interest is sufficient to shift the burden of proof to the respondent to demonstrate that such a right or legitimate interest does exist).
Due to the failure of Respondent to respond to the Complaint, the Panel assumes that Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. See Desotec N.V. v. Jacobi Carbons AB, D2000-1398 (WIPO Dec. 21, 2000) (finding that failing to respond allows a presumption that the complainant’s allegations are true unless clearly contradicted by the evidence); see also Eroski, So. Coop. v. Getdomains Ishowflat Ltd., D2003-0209 (WIPO July 28, 2003) (“It can be inferred that by defaulting Respondent showed nothing else but an absolute lack of interest on the domain name.”). However, the Panel chooses to examine the evidence against the applicable Policy ¶ 4(c) elements before making a final determination about Respondent’s rights and legitimate interests.
Complainant contends that Respondent is neither commonly known by the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name, nor licensed to register domain names using the ONE TOUCH mark. Respondent’s WHOIS information lacks any defining characteristics relating it to the disputed domain name. Therefore, the Panel finds that without any evidence of being commonly known by the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name, Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii). See Wells Fargo & Co. v. Onlyne Corp. Services11, Inc., FA 198969 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 17, 2003) (“Given the WHOIS contact information for the disputed domain [name], one can infer that Respondent, Onlyne Corporate Services11, is not commonly known by the name ‘welsfargo’ in any derivation.”); see also Gallup, Inc. v. Amish Country Store, FA 96209 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 23, 2001) (finding that the respondent does not have rights in a domain name when the respondent is not known by the mark).
Complainant contends that Respondent is using the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name in order to
intentionally divert Internet users to the associated website, where links are
offered to third-party websites offering products in direct competition with
Complainant. The Panel finds that
intentionally diverting unknowing Internet users to a competing website by
using a domain name which is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark is
neither a bona fide offering of goods
and services pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i), nor a legitimate noncommercial or
fair use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii).
See Glaxo Group Ltd. v. WWW Zban, FA 203164 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 1, 2003) (finding that
the respondent was not using the domain name within the parameters of Policy ¶
4(c)(i) or (iii) because the respondent used the domain name to take advantage
of the complainant's mark by diverting Internet users to a competing commercial
site); see also Ultimate Elecs.,
Inc. v. Nichols, FA 195683 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 27, 2003) (finding that
the respondent's “use of the domain name (and Complainant’s mark) to
sell products in competition with Complainant demonstrates neither a bona fide
offering of goods or services nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the
name”).
The Panel finds that Policy ¶
4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.
Respondent’s use of the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com>
domain name
to offer links to third-party websites which directly compete with Complainant
is evidence of bad faith. The Panel
finds that a registered domain name used primarily to disrupt the business
prospects of a competitor is an illustration of bad faith registration and use
pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii). See Puckett, Individually v. Miller, D2000-0297 (WIPO
Respondent’s use of the <onetouchglucosemonitor.com>
domain name
in order to intentionally attract Internet users to its website by creating a
strong possiblity of confusion with Complainant’s ONE TOUCH mark and offering
third-party links to competing websites.
The Panel infers that Respondent receives click-through fees for
diverting Internet users to such websites.
Therefore, pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv), the Panel finds such use of
the disputed domain name constitutes bad faith registration and use. See
Luck's Music Library v. Stellar
Artist Mgmt., FA 95650 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 30, 2000) (finding that the
respondent engaged in bad faith use and registration by using domain names that
were identical or confusingly similar to the complainant’s mark to redirect
users to a website that offered services similar to those offered by the
complainant); see also Amazon.com, Inc. v. Shafir, FA 196119 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 10, 2003) (“As Respondent
is using the domain name at issue in direct competition with Complainant, and
giving the impression of being affiliated with or sponsored by Complainant,
this circumstance qualifies as bad faith registration and use of the domain
name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).”).
The Panel finds that 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 <onetouchglucosemonitor.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., Panelist
Dated: February 22, 2008
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