WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION

Starbucks Corporation v. Withheld for Privacy Purposes, Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf / huu nhu anh tran

Case No. D2021-2362

1. The Parties

The Complainant is Starbucks Corporation, United States of America, represented by BMVN International LLC, Viet Nam.

The Respondent is Withheld for Privacy Purposes, Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf, Iceland / huu nhu anh tran, Viet Nam.

2. The Domain Name and Registrar

The disputed domain name <starbuckvietnam.com> is registered with NameCheap, Inc. (the “Registrar”).

3. Procedural History

The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on July 21, 2021. On July 21, 2021, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On July 21, 2021, 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 the Complainant on July 22, 2021 providing the registrant and contact information disclosed by the Registrar, and inviting the Complainant to submit an amendment to the Complaint. The Complainant filed an amended Complaint on July 22, 2021.

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 the Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on July 29, 2021. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was August 18, 2021. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on August 27, 2021.

The Center appointed Marilena Comanescu as the sole panelist in this matter on September 8, 2021. 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.

4. Factual Background

The Complainant, trading under the Starbucks brand since 1971, is a global roaster and retailer of specialty coffee, currently having more than 32,660 retail stores in over 80 markets worldwide.

The Complaint holds numerous trademark registrations for STARBUCKS in 150 countries and territories through the world such as the Vietnamese trademark registrations No. 4-0012864-000 and 4-0060570-000 registered on August 6, 1994, and March 1, 2005, respectively, covering goods and services in classes 30 and 42, and 7, 11, 21, 25, 32, and 43 respectively. The Complainant’s main website is available at “www.starbucks.com”.

The disputed domain name <starbuckvietnam.com> was registered on January 6, 2020, and at the time of filing the Complaint, it resolved to a web page providing information and news on food and beverage, particularly coffee related, and also Starbucks related contents featuring the STARBUCKS trademark and product images, presenting the background, history, and various information regarding the Complainant.

5. Parties’ Contentions

A. Complainant

The Complainant contends that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to its well-known trademark STARBUCKS with the removal of the last letter “s” and an additional term added “vientam”, the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name, and the Respondent registered and is using the disputed domain name in bad faith. The Complainant requests the transfer of the disputed domain name to it.

B. Respondent

The Respondent did not reply to the Complainant’s contentions.

6. Discussion and Findings

In view of the absence of a Response, the discussion and findings will be based upon the contentions in the Complaint and any reasonable position that can be attributable to the Respondent. Under paragraph 4(a) of the Policy, a complainant can only succeed in an administrative proceeding under the Policy if the following circumstances are met:

(i) the disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights;

(ii) the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name; and

(iii) the disputed domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

The Panel will further analyze the potential concurrence of the above circumstances.

A. Identical or Confusingly Similar

The Panel finds that the Complainant holds rights in the STARBUCKS trademark.

The disputed domain name <starbuckvietnam.com> incorporates the Complainant’s trademark with the last letter from the mark, “s”, removed and an additional term, “vietnam”, added. However, such alterations do not prevent a finding of confusing similarity as the Complainant’s trademark is clearly recognizable within the disputed domain name.

Numerous UDRP panels have considered that a domain name consisting of a mispelling of the complainant’s trademark (i.e., typosquatting) or the addition of other terms (whether geographical wording, descriptive, pejorative, meaningless or otherwise) to trademarks in a domain name do not prevent a finding of confusing similarity. See sections 1.9 and 1.8 of the WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions, Third Edition (“WIPO Overview 3.0”).

Further, it is well established in decisions under the UDRP that the generic Top-Level Domain (“gTLD”) (e.g., “.com”, “.info”, “.org”) may typically be disregarded for the purposes of consideration of confusing similarity between a trademark and a domain name. See section 1.11 of the WIPO Overview 3.0.

Given the above, the Panel finds that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trademark STARBUCKS, pursuant to the Policy, paragraph 4(a)(i).

B. Rights or Legitimate Interests

The Complainant asserts that it has given no license or other right to use its trademark to the Respondent, that the Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name, and that the Respondent has not used the disputed domain name in connection with a legitimate noncommercial or fair use or a bona fide offering of goods and services.

Under the Policy, “a complainant is required to make out a prima facie case that the respondent lacks rights or legitimate interests. Once such prima facie case is made, the burden of production shifts to the respondent to come forward with appropriate allegations or evidence demonstrating rights or legitimate interests in the domain name. If the respondent fails to come forward with such appropriate allegations or evidence, a complainant is generally deemed to have satisfied paragraph 4(a)(ii) of the UDRP”. See section 2.1 of theWIPO Overview 3.0.

The Respondent has not replied to the Complainant’s contentions to advance a claim to any rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name.

Further, there is no evidence before the Panel to suggest that the Respondent has made a bona fide use of the disputed domain name, or has been known by this disputed domain name, or is making any legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the disputed domain name. In fact, at the time of filing the Complaint the disputed domain name resolved to a website providing information and news on various products, including coffee related products of the Complainant and third parties, and was also featuring information, product images, and the STARBUCKS trademark without the Complainant’s consent. The website is also without any statement or clarification as to the website’s affiliation or lack thereof to the Complainant.

In addition, and without prejudice to the above, the nature of the disputed domain name, comprising the Complainant’s well-known trademark in its entirety with only the last letter “s” in the mark removed in combination with a geographical term, carries a risk of implied affiliation. See section 2.5.1 of the WIPO Overview 3.0.

For all these reasons, the Panel finds that the second element of the Policy is established, and the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name, pursuant to the Policy, paragraph 4(a)(ii).

C. Registered and Used in Bad Faith

The Complainant has been operating its business since 1971, holding trademark rights for STARBUCKS since at least 1994 and has established a reputation worldwide.

Previous UDRP panels have found that the Complainant’s STARBUCKS trademark is distinctive and well known worldwide. See for example Starbucks Corporation v. Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 1242735021 / Green Starbuck Coffee Cafe, WIPO Case No. D2019-1234; Starbucks Corporation v. Registration Private, Domains by Proxy, LLC / Carolina Rodrigues, Fundacion Comercio Electronico, WIPO Case No. D2019-1991; or Starbucks Corporation v. Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 1242735021 / Green Starbuck Coffee Cafe, WIPO Case No. D2019-1234.

The disputed domain name was created in 2020 and incorporates the Complainant’s mark with a slight alteration, the omission of one letter from the mark and an additional term. The website at the disputed domain name also features the Complainant’s trademark, logo, copyrighted images, and hosts information about the Complainant and its products.

For the above, the Panel finds that the disputed domain name was registered in bad faith, with knowledge of the Complainant, its business, and particularly targeting its STARBUCKS trademark.

The Respondent is using without permission the Complainant’s distinctive trademark in order to get traffic on its web portal and to obtain commercial gain from the false impression created for the Internet users with regard to a potential connection with the Complainant. This impression is created particularly by the incorporation of the Complainant’s distinctive trademark in the disputed domain name, together with a geographical term, the content on the website provided thereunder, which includes the Complainant’s trademarks, official product images, and the lack of any disclaimer on this website.

Paragraph 4(b)(iv) of the Policy provides that the use of a domain name to intentionally attempt “to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to [the respondent’s] website or other online location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of [the respondent’s] website or location or of a product or service on [the respondent’s] website or location” is evidence of registration and use in bad faith.

Given that the disputed domain name incorporates the Complainant’s trademark and the website operated under the disputed domain name displays the Complainant’s trademarks and official product images, indeed in this Panel’s view, the Respondent intended to attract Internet users accessing the website corresponding to the disputed domain name who may be confused and believe that the website is held, controlled by, or somehow affiliated or related to the Complainant, for its commercial gain. This activity may also disrupt the Complainant’s business and tarnish its trademark.

Furthermore, it was consistently found by previous UDRP panels that the mere registration of a domain name that is identical or confusingly similar to a third party’s well-known trademark constitutes, by itself, a presumption of bad faith registration for the purpose of Policy. See section 3.1.4 of the WIPO Overview 3.0.

The Respondent registered the disputed domain name under a privacy service and refused to participate in the present proceedings in order to provide arguments in its favor. Having in view the other circumstances of this case, such facts constitute further evidence of bad faith.

For all the above reasons, the Panel finds that the Respondent registered and is using the disputed domain name in bad faith, pursuant to the Policy, paragraph 4(a)(iii).

7. Decision

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 <starbuckvietnam.com> be transferred to the Complainant.

Marilena Comanescu
Sole Panelist
Date: September 21, 2021