national arbitration forum

 

DECISION

 

Microsoft Corporation v. Evgeny I Viktorov c/o Private Person

Claim Number: FA0909001285127

 

PARTIES

Complainant is Microsoft Corporation (“Complainant”), represented by James F. Struthers, of Richard Law Group, Inc., Texas, USA.  Respondent is Evgeny I Viktorov c/o Private Person (“Respondent”), Russia.

 

REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME

The domain name at issue is <zunecenter.com>, registered with Regtime Ltd.

 

PANEL

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.

 

Judge Ralph Yachnin as Panelist.

 

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on September 18, 2009; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on September 21, 2009.  The Complaint was submitted in both Russian and English.

 

On September 30, 2009, Regtime Ltd. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <zunecenter.com> domain name is registered with Regtime Ltd. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name.  Regtime Ltd. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Regtime Ltd. 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 October 5, 2009, a Russian Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of October 26, 2009 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@zunecenter.com by e-mail.

 

Having received no response from Respondent, the National Arbitration Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.

 

On October 29, 2009, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Judge Ralph Yachnin 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.

 

Pursuant to Rule 11(a) the Panel determines that the language requirement has been satisfied through the Russian language Complaint and Commencement Notification and, absent a Response, determines that the remainder of the proceedings may be conducted in English.

 

RELIEF SOUGHT

Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.

 

PARTIES' CONTENTIONS

A.  Complainant makes the following assertions:

 

1.      Respondent’s <zunecenter.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s ZUNE mark.

 

2.      Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <zunecenter.com> domain name.

 

3.      Respondent registered and used the <zunecenter.com> domain name in bad faith.

 

B.  Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.

 

FINDINGS

Complainant, Microsoft Corporation, is a developer, marketer, and provider of computer equipment and software, including the music software Complainant promotes under the ZUNE mark, which Complainant registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on September 18, 2007 (Reg. No. 3,294,152).  Complainant has used the ZUNE mark continuously in commerce since at least as early as September 2006, and has received media attention for its products and services under the ZUNE mark since 2007.

 

Respondent registered the <zunecenter.com> domain name on November 29, 2008.  The disputed domain name resolves to a website that features the ZUNE mark and images of Complainant’s software products, and offers “unlimited music downloads” and other software which compete with Complainant’s products for market share.

 

DISCUSSION

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.

 

Identical and/or Confusingly Similar

 

Respondent registered the <zunecenter.com> domain name on November 29, 2008. 

The Panel finds that Complainant has established rights in the ZUNE mark for purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) through its trademark registrations with the USPTO (Reg. No. 3,294,152 issued September 18, 2007).  See Microsoft Corp. v. Burkes, FA 652743 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 17, 2006) (“Complainant has established rights in the MICROSOFT mark through registration of the mark with the USPTO.”); see also Williams-Sonoma, Inc. v. Fees, FA 937704 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 25, 2007) (finding that it is irrelevant whether the complainant has registered its trademark in the country of the respondent’s residence).

 

Complainant contends that Respondent’s <zunecenter.com> domain name is confusingly similar to its ZUNE mark.  The disputed domain name differs from Complainant’s mark in two ways: (1) the generic term “center” has been added to the end of the mark; and (2) the generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) “.com” has been added.  The Panel finds that the addition of a generic term does not sufficiently distinguish a domain name from an incorporated mark for the purposes of Policy ¶ 4(a)(i). The Panel also finds that the addition of a gTLD to a mark also does not reduce the likelihood of confusion between the domain name and the mark, because every domain name must contain a top-level domain.  Therefore, the Panel finds that these changes do not minimize or eliminate the resulting likelihood of confusion, and so Respondent’s disputed domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).  See Am. Online Inc. v. Neticq.com Ltd., D2000-1606 (WIPO Feb. 12, 2001) (finding that the addition of the generic word “Net” to the complainant’s ICQ mark, makes the <neticq.com> domain name confusingly similar to the complainant’s mark); see also Wells Fargo Home Mortgage v. domains Ventures, FA 810215 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 14, 2006) (finding the addition of the term “your” to the WELLS FARGO mark in the <yourwellsfargomortgage.com> domain name to be insufficient to distinguish the disputed domain name from the complainant’s mark under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i)); see also Gardline Surveys Ltd. v. Domain Fin. Ltd., FA 153545 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 27, 2003) (“The addition of a top-level domain is irrelevant when establishing whether or not a mark is identical or confusingly similar, because top-level domains are a required element of every domain name.”).

 

The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(i) has been satisfied.

 

Rights or Legitimate Interests

 

Complainant contends that Respondent lacks all rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name.  Under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii), after the complainant makes a prima facie case against the respondent, the respondent then has the burden of showing evidence that it does have rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name.  The Panel finds that Complainant has made a prima facie case under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).  Respondent has not responded to the Complaint in this case; however, the Panel will still examine the record to determine whether Respondent has rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).  See Woolworths plc. v. Anderson, D2000-1113 (WIPO Oct. 10, 2000) (finding that, absent evidence of preparation to use the domain name for a legitimate purpose, the burden of proof lies with the respondent to demonstrate that it has rights or legitimate interests); see also Talk City, Inc. v. Robertson, D2000-0009 (WIPO Feb. 29, 2000) (“[Rule 14(b)] expressly provide[s] that the Panel ‘shall draw such inferences’ from the Respondent’s failure to comply with the rules ‘as it considers appropriate.”).

 

Complainant contends that Respondent is not commonly known by the <zunecenter.com> domain name nor has it ever been the owner or licensee of the ZUNE mark.  The WHOIS record for the disputed domain name lists Respondent as “Evgeny I Viktorov c/o Private Person.”  Respondent has failed to show any evidence contrary to Complainant’s contentions.  In light of the evidence before it, the Panel finds that Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii).  See Instron Corp. v. Kaner, FA 768859 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 21, 2006) (finding that the respondent was not commonly known by the <shoredurometer.com> and <shoredurometers.com> domain names because the WHOIS information listed Andrew Kaner c/o Electromatic a/k/a Electromatic Equip't as the registrant of the disputed domain names and there was no other evidence in the record to suggest that the respondent was commonly known by the domain names in dispute); see also 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.”).

 

The <zunecenter.com> domain name resolves to a website that features the ZUNE mark and images of Complainant’s software products, and offers “unlimited music downloads” and other software.  The products offered are not Complainant’s products, but competing products.  Complainant contends that Respondent is using the disputed domain name and images of Complainant’s products in conjunction, in order to “pass off” Respondent’s website as Complainant’s website.  The Panel finds that Respondent’s attempt to use the <zunecenter.com> domain name to “pass off” Respondent’s website as Complainant’s website, and then sell competing products, is neither a bona fide offering of goods or services under Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use under Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii).  See Kmart of Mich., Inc. v. Cone, FA 655014 (Nat. Arb. Forum April 25, 2006) (The panel found the respondent’s attempt to pass itself of as the complainant was not a bona fide offering of goods or services pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i), or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii) when the respondent used the disputed domain name to present users with a website that was nearly identical to the complainant’s website); see also Nokia Corp.  v. Eagle,  FA 1125685 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 7, 2008) (finding the respondent’s use of the disputed domain name to pass itself off as the complainant in order to advertise and sell unauthorized products of the complainant was not a bona fide offering of goods or services pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i), or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii)).

 

The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii) has been satisfied.

 

Registration and Use in Bad Faith

 

Complainant contends that Respondent is using the confusingly similar disputed domain name, registered November 29, 2008, to divert Internet customers to a website that imitates Complainant’s website.  The Panel finds that Respondent’s use of the <zunecenter.com> domain name to “pass off” Respondent’s website as Complainant’s own website to sell competing products disrupts Complainant’s business, and is evidence of registration and use in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii).  See Artistic Pursuit LLC v. calcuttawebdevelopers.com, FA 894477 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 8, 2007) (finding that the respondent’s registration and use of the disputed domain name, which displayed a website virtually identical to the complainant’s website, constituted bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii)); see also Disney Enters., Inc. v. Noel, FA 198805 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 11, 2003) (“Respondent registered a domain name confusingly similar to Complainant's mark to divert Internet users to a competitor's website. It is a reasonable inference that Respondent's purpose of registration and use was to either disrupt or create confusion for Complainant's business in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶¶ 4(b)(iii) [and] (iv).”). 

 

Complainant also contends that Respondent is gaining commercially through this diversion, through the sales of products that compete with Complainant’s products. The Panel finds that Respondent is intentionally using the <zunecenter.com> domain name for commercial gain through a likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s mark.  Therefore, pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv), the Panel finds that this use for commercial gain also constitutes evidence of registration and use in bad faith.  See Nokia Corp. v. Private, D2000-1271 (WIPO Nov. 3, 2000) (finding bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv) where the domain name resolved to a website that offered similar products as those sold under the complainant’s famous mark); see also World Wrestling Fed’n Entm’t, Inc. v. Ringside Collectibles, D2000-1306 (WIPO Jan. 24, 2001) (concluding that the respondent registered and used the <wwfauction.com> domain name in bad faith because the name resolved to a commercial website that the complainant’s customers were likely to confuse with the source of the complainant’s products, especially because of the respondent’s prominent use of the complainant’s logo on the site).

 

The Panel finds that Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii) has been satisfied.

 

DECISION

Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.

 

Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <zunecenter.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.

 

 

 

 

Hon. Ralph Yachnin, Panelist

Justice, Supreme Court, NY (Ret.)

 

Dated:  November 11, 2009

 

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