Complainant is Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. of Houston, Texas, United States of America, represented by Novak Druce Connolly Bove & Quigg LLP, United States of America.
Respondent is Registration Private, Domains By Proxy, LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America.
The Disputed Domain Name <hallidurton.com> is registered with GoDaddy.com, LLC (the "Registrar").
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the "Center") on November 17, 2015. On November 18, 2015, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the Disputed Domain Name. On November 18, 2015, the Registrar transmitted by email to the Center its verification response disclosing registrant and contact information for the Disputed Domain Name which differed from the named Respondent and contact information in the Complaint. The Center sent an email communication to Complainant on November 23, 2015 providing the registrant and contact information disclosed by the Registrar, and inviting the Complainant to submit an amendment to Complaint. Complainant filed an amended Complaint on December 1 2015, in which it stated that the registrant name provided by the Registrar is fictitious, since it is the name of the Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") of Complainant. As requested by Complainant, the Panel decides to redact the Registrar-confirmed name used by the registrant of the Disputed Domain Name as apparently fictitious and misleading. Attached as Annex 1 to this Decision is an instruction to the Registrar regarding transfer of the Disputed Domain Name that includes the said name, and the Panel has authorized the Center to transmit Annex 1 to the Registrar as part of the order in this proceeding. However, the Panel directs the Center, pursuant to paragraph 4(j) of the Policy and paragraph 16(b) of the Rules, that Annex 1 to this Decision shall not be published based on exceptional circumstances. See Banco Bradesco S.A. v. FAST-12785241 Attn. Bradescourgente.net / Name Redacted, WIPO Case No. D2009-1788.
The Center verified that the Complaint together with the amended Complaint satisfied the formal requirements of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy" or "UDRP"), the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules"), and the WIPO Supplemental Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Supplemental Rules").
In accordance with the Rules, paragraphs 2 and 4, the Center formally notified Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on December 2, 2015. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was December 22, 2015. Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified Respondent's default on December 23, 2015.
The Center appointed Michael Albert as the sole panelist in this matter on January 5, 2016. The Panel finds that it was properly constituted. The Panel has submitted the Statement of Acceptance and Declaration of Impartiality and Independence, as required by the Center to ensure compliance with the Rules, paragraph 7.
Founded in 1919, Complainant Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the energy industry, with more than 70,000 employees in over 80 countries. Complainant maintains and operates a website at "www.halliburton.com". It has used the HALLIBURTON mark in commerce for more than 80 years and owns numerous United States of America trademark registrations for the mark, as well as formatives thereof. It owns more than 370 trademark registrations in 60 countries worldwide for the HALLIBURTON mark and other HALLIBURTON-formative marks. Its annual revenues in 2014 were over USD 30 billion.
Respondent is not affiliated with Halliburton, and is not licensed to use Complainant's HALLIBURTON mark or to register or use domain names incorporating that mark.
Respondent registered the Disputed Domain Name on October 28, 2015.
Complainant alleges that the Disputed Domain Name is confusingly similar to Complainant's distinctive and well-known HALLIBURTON mark but for a deliberately-introduced typographical error in which the letter "b" is changed to a "d"; that Respondent has never been licensed or authorized to use the mark; and that Respondent's conduct is in bad faith as evidenced both by the similarity of the Disputed Domain Name to Complainant's mark and Respondent's use of the Disputed Domain Name to target Complainant in a fraudulent email and phishing scheme.
Respondent did not reply to Complainant's contentions.
Complainant has proven each of the three elements required under the Policy.
The Disputed Domain Name is confusingly similar to Complainant's distinctive and well-known HALLIBURTON mark within the meaning of paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy. In a classic case of "typosquatting", Respondent merely changed one letter in the middle the of the HALLIBURTON mark to a similar-looking letter.
Complainant's rights in the HALLIBURTON mark are clearly established through registration and use, both in the United States of America and in numerous other countries around the world. Complainant's mark is entitled to a presumption of validity by virtue of its registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. See EAuto, L.L.C. v. Triple S. Auto Parts d/b/a Kung Fu Yea Enter., Inc., WIPO Case No. D2000-0047.
The Disputed Domain Name contains the entirety of Complainant's mark and simply changes the letter "b" to a "d." Changing the letter "b" to a "d" does not dispel the confusing similarity of the Disputed Domain Name to Complainant's mark, but rather demonstrates that Respondent was targeting Complainant's mark. Heartland Payment Systems v. Purple Bucquet, WIPO Case No. D2010-0722 (disputed domain name that adds one letter to complainant's mark is confusingly similar because "an unsuspecting consumer would find the disputed domain name visually and phonetically similar and almost identical to the Complainant's mark"); OOM Holding N.V. v. Diamond Point Enterprises Limited, WIPO Case No. DNL2011-0076 (disputed domain name is confusingly similar to complainant's trademark when the domain name adds only one letter to the trademark and trade name of Complainant) and TVS Motor Co. Ltd. v. VistaPrint Techs. Ltd., WIPO Case No. DCO2014-0007 (adding two additional letters at the end of the domain name "does nothing to remove the resemblance to key elements of the trademarks").
Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the Disputed Domain Name for purposes of paragraph 4(a)(ii) of the Policy. Respondent is neither known by, nor authorized to use, Complainant's mark. Respondent does not claim otherwise. Nothing in the record reflects Respondent's use of the Disputed Domain Name in connection with any bona fide offering of goods or services within the meaning of paragraph 4(c)(i) of the Policy. See TVS Motor Co. Ltd. v. VistaPrint Techs. Ltd., WIPO Case No. DCO2014-0007.
Respondent's conduct in this case demonstrates bad faith registration and use of the Disputed Domain Name within the meaning of paragraph 4(a)(iii) of the Policy.
First, Respondent was undoubtedly well aware of Complainant and had Complainant's HALLIBURTON mark in mind when registering the Disputed Domain Name. Indeed, the similarity between the Disputed Domain Name and Complainant's well-known mark make it highly implausible that Respondent's registration of a confusingly similar domain name was not an intentional effort to capitalize on or otherwise take advantage of the likely confusion with Complainant's trademark rights. See Heartland Payment Systems v. Purple Bucquet, WIPO Case No. D2010-0722 (finding it difficult to believe that the disputed domain name that adds one letter to the complainant's mark was "registered for any purpose other than the trademark value of the Complainant's mark, which is recognized as bad faith use under paragraph 4(a)(iv) of the Policy"); Beckman Coulter, Inc. v. Suzan Wilson, WIPO Case No. D2010-1163 (it is clear from the scheme that respondent was aware of complainant's rights in the registered trademark since respondent fraudulently posed as an employee of complainant).
Second, Respondent appears to have used the Disputed Domain Name to engage in a "phishing" identity theft scheme and fraud upon Complainant and its vendors, by sending emails using the Disputed Domain Name and purporting to be from Complainant. That alone amounts to bad faith. B&H Foto & Electronics Corp. v. Whois Privacy Protection Service, Inc./Jackie Upton, WIPO Case No. D2010-0841 (finding the disputed domain name was both registered and used in bad faith when the disputed domain name was used in a fraud scheme to send email orders immediately following registration to vendors that would appear to come from complainant, using the names of complainant's employees and an email domain name differing by only two letters from complainant's domain name); TVS Motor Co. Ltd. v. VistaPrint Techs. Ltd., WIPO Case No. DCO2014-0007 (use of disputed domain names to create emails purporting to be email addresses of complainant's officers is "plainly bad faith"); Beckman Coulter, Inc. v. Suzan Wilson, WIPO Case No. D2010-1163 (finding bad faith when respondent has used the disputed domain name to set up and email address from which respondent fraudulently set out equipment requests in the name of complainant, posing as an employee of complainant, and using complainant's registered trademark in an unauthorized manner).
Third, the Disputed Domain Name is a "typosquatting" variant of the HALLIBURTON mark, created by changing one letter in the middle to a similar-looking letter. Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. v. Temme Steve/Steve Inc., WIPO Case No. D2015-1089. Prior Panels have found the abusive practice of typosquatting compelling evidence of bad faith registration and use. See, e.g., Playboy Enterprises International Inc. v SAND WebNames – For Sale, WIPO Case No. D2001-0094.
Fourth, Respondent's use of Complainant's CEO's name is a bad-faith attempt to confuse the public.
For the foregoing reasons, in accordance with paragraphs 4(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, the Panel orders that the Disputed Domain Name <hallidurton.com> be transferred to Complainant.
Michael Albert
Sole Panelist
Date: January 19, 2016