The Complainant is Ferring B.Y. of Hoofddorp, Netherlands represented by Olson & Cepuritis, Ltd., United States of America.
The Respondent is Simon David of Olympia, United States of America.
The disputed domain name <ferring.me> is registered with Dynadot, LLC (the “Registrar”).
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on October 8, 2012. On October 8, 2012, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On October 10, 2012, the Registrar transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that the Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details. On October 12, 2012, the Center requested the Complainant to provide a Complaint in accordance with the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, approved by the doMEn d.o.o (“doMEn”) on April 30, 2008 (the “Policy”). The Complainant filed an amended Complaint on October 12, 2012.
The Center verified that the Complaint and amended Complaint satisfied the formal requirements of the Policy, the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy for .ME, approved by doMEn on October 1, 2012 (the “Rules”), and the WIPO Supplemental Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Supplemental Rules”).
In accordance with the Rules, paragraphs 2(a) and 4(a), the Center formally notified the Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on October 16, 2012. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was November 5, 2012. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on November 7, 2012.
The Center appointed Kiyoshi Tsuru as the sole panelist in this matter on November 27, 2012. 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.
The Complainant is the holder of the following trademark registrations (“FERRING Trademark”):
TRADEMARK | REG. NO | SPECIFICATION OF GOOD /SERVICES | CLASS | DATE OF REGISTRATION | OWNER | COUNTRY |
FERRING |
2731962 |
Prerecorded audio and video cassettes and DVD discs featuring topics relating to health, medical and pharmaceutical education |
9 |
July 1, 2003 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA |
Printed matter, namely, brochures, leaflets, manuals, handbooks and newsletters in the field of pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical research, and healthcare |
16 |
July 1, 2003 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA | ||
FERRING |
2739883 |
Pharmaceuticals for treatment in the fields of fertility, hematology, urology, gynecology, obstetrics, gastroenterology, endocrinology, oncology, renalology, immunology, pain relief, inflammatory diseases and vaccines |
5 |
July 22, 2003 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA |
Educational services, namely, conducting symposiums, seminars, conferences, and lectures featuring topics relating to health, medical, and pharmaceutical education |
41 |
July 22, 2003 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA | ||
FERRING |
3662266 |
House mark for pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical preparations used to treat diseases and conditions in the areas of endocrinology, urology, infertility, and chronic bowel disease, for treatment of diabetes insipidus, enuresis, bed wetting, and arthritis, and for use as a diagnostic agent and therapeutic agent for hormonal disorders |
August 4, 2009 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA | |
FERRING |
3232088 |
House mark for a full line of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical preparations for treatment of urological disorders and conditions, diabetes insipidus, enuresis, bed wetting, arthritis, for treatment in the field of infertility, and for use as a diagnostic agent and therapeutic agent for hormonal disorders |
5 |
April 24, 2007 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA |
Prerecorded audio and video cassettes and DVD discs featuring topics relating to health, medical and pharmaceutical education |
9 |
April 24, 2007 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA | ||
Printed matter, namely brochures, leaflets, manuals, handbooks and newsletters in the field of pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical research, and healthcare |
16 |
April 24, 2007 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA | ||
Educational services, namely, conducting symposiums, seminars, conferences, and lectures featuring topics relating to health, medical, and pharmaceutical education |
41 |
April 24, 2007 |
Ferring B.V. |
USA | ||
FERRING |
128936 |
Pharmaceutical products and substances |
January 1, 2011, |
Ferring B.V. |
United Arab Emirates | |
FERRING |
1.650.195 renewed 2,251.772 |
(pharmaceutical products and services provided by the laboratory relating to medicine) |
November 13, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Argentina | |
FERRING |
153054 |
(organization of conventions and seminars, courses and training; providing advice and information, especially medical and pharmaceutical); |
May 8, 1987 |
Ferring B.V. |
Benelux | |
FERRING |
430327 |
(pharmaceutical preparations and substances; and surgical, medical, dental, and veterinary apparatuses and instruments); |
April 24, 1987 |
Ferring B.V. |
Benelux | |
FERRING |
92997-C |
(pharmaceutical products in general and pharmaceutical preparations which stimulate the fertility in men and women) |
February 17, 2004 |
Ferring B.V. |
Bolivia | |
FERRING |
817376003 |
(medications in general) |
February 6, 1996 |
Ferring B.V. |
Brazil | |
FERRING |
819272248 |
(drugs that act on the urinary tract) and other goods; |
November 16, 2005 |
Ferring B.V. |
Brazil | |
FERRING |
821076639 |
(medical apparatuses and instruments) and other goods |
December 23, 2003 |
Ferring B.V. |
Brazil | |
FERRING |
821694812 |
(pharmaceutical substances and products) and other goods |
June 21, 2005 |
Ferring B.V. |
Brazil | |
FERRING |
782.005 |
(commericial establishment for the sale and purchase of pharmaceutical products or medications) and other goods |
September 20, 1995 |
Ferring B.V. |
Chile | |
FERRING |
863.664 |
commericial establishment for the sale and purchase of pharmaceutical and veterinary products) and other goods |
October 20, 2009 |
Ferring B.V. |
Chile | |
FERRING |
797.849 |
(establishment of industrial production of pharmaceutical and veterinary products) and other goods |
August 4, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Chile | |
FERRING |
797.850 |
(pharmaceutical and veterinary products) and other goods |
August 4, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Chile | |
FERRING |
7258724 |
Pharmaceutical products and substances |
August 28, 2010 |
Ferring B.V. |
China | |
FERRING |
193716 |
(pharmaceutical substances) |
February 11, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Colombia | |
FERRING |
004030193 |
Pharmaceutical products and substances |
September 11, 2006 |
Ferring B.V. |
Community | |
FERRING |
100944 |
(pharmaceutical products for human use) |
April 16, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Costa Rica | |
FERRING |
VR 1983 01626 |
(pharmaceutical preparations) |
May 27, 1983 |
Ferring B.V. |
Denmark | |
FERRING |
87811 |
(pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations and substances) |
August 15, 1996 |
Ferring B.V. |
Dominican Republic | |
FERRING |
251046 |
(pharmaceutical and health care productions) |
February 15, 2011 |
Ferring B.V. |
Finland | |
FERRING |
1589265 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
October 26, 1994 |
Ferring B.V. |
Great Britain | |
FERRING |
164318 |
(pharmaceutical preparations and substances) |
July 6, 2009 |
Ferring B.V. |
Guatemala | |
FERRING |
00401/1995 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
March 10, 1992 |
Ferring B.V. |
Hong Kong | |
FERRING |
1571/1997 |
Pharmaceutical and veterinary preparations and substances |
August 10, 1994 |
Ferring B.V. |
Hong Kong | |
FERRING |
301285993 |
Pharmaceutical products and substances |
February 12, 2009 |
Ferring B.V. |
Hong Kong | |
FERRING |
110.726 |
(pharmaceutical and veterinary products) and other goods |
November 25, 2009 |
Ferring B.V. |
Honduras | |
FERRING |
495767 |
“Pharmaceutical products” and other goods |
March 24, 1992 |
Ferring B.V. |
Indonesia | |
FERRING |
108840 |
Pharmaceutical and medical preparations and products |
September 7, 1983 |
Ferring B.V. |
Ireland | |
FERRING |
95776 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
July 1, 1996 |
Ferring B.V. |
Israel | |
FERRING |
527390 |
Pharmaceutical, veterinary, and sanitary substances” and other goods |
April 3, 1990 |
Ferring B.V. |
India | |
FERRING |
648645 |
Pharmaceutical and preparations and substances |
December 14, 1994 |
Ferring B.V. |
India | |
FERRING |
615597 |
"Pharmaceutical preparations and substances" and other goods |
October 17, 1994, |
Ferring B.V. |
International Trademark Registration | |
FERRING |
15/1997 |
drugs and drug material |
January 24, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Iceland | |
FERRING |
30,288 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
April 24, 1996 |
Ferring B.V. |
Jamaica | |
FERRING |
39405 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
September 25, 1995 |
Ferring B.V. |
Jordan | |
FERRING |
2,108,063 |
Pharmaceutical preparations |
January 23, 1989 |
Ferring B.V. |
Japan | |
FERRING |
5303322 |
“Pharmaceutical preparations” and other goods |
February 19, 2010 |
Ferring B.V. |
Japan | |
FERRING |
263.753 |
Agents for epidermis” and other goods |
May 21, 1993 |
Ferring B.V. |
South Korea | |
FERRING |
490005 |
(pharmaceutical preparations and substances) |
March 15, 1995 |
Ferring B.V. |
Mexico | |
FERRING |
9201732 |
Pharmaceutical, veterinary and sanitary preparations” and other goods |
March 19, 1992 |
Ferring B.V. |
Malaysia | |
FERRING |
R 34028 C.C. |
(pharmaceutical substances and preparations” and other goods |
April 29, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Nicaragua | |
FERRING |
183633 |
pharmaceutical products; medical apparatuses and instruments |
July 17, 1997 |
Ferring B.V. |
Norway | |
FERRING |
216891 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances” and other goods |
March 16, 1992 |
Ferring B.V. |
New Zealand | |
FERRING |
80750 |
(pharmaceutical preparations and substances) |
May 8, 1996 |
Ferring B.V. |
Panama | |
FERRING |
00062604 |
(pharmaceutical, veterinary and hygienic products) and other goods |
April 5, 2000 |
Ferring B.V. |
Peru | |
FERRING |
57728 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances” and other goods |
April 20, 1994 |
Ferring B.V. |
Philippines | |
FERRING |
98447 |
Pharmaceutical, veterinary and sanitary preparations” and other goods; |
May 8, 1988 |
Ferring B.V. |
Pakistan | |
FERRING |
372/94 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
March 27, 1996 |
Ferring B.V. |
Saudi Arabia | |
FERRING |
333 672 |
pharmaceutical preparations |
November 12, 1999 |
Ferring B.V. |
Sweden | |
FERRING |
T92/02010E |
“Pharmaceutical preparations” |
March 20, 1992 |
Ferring B.V. |
Singapore | |
FERRING |
00071/00124/143-144 |
pharmaceutical preparations and substances) |
February 10, 2009, |
Ferring B.V. |
El Salvador | |
FERRING |
TM7060 |
Hormone dependent diseases, especially in gynecology and urology areas” and other goods |
September 18, 1992 |
Ferring B.V. |
Thailand | |
FERRING |
163687 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
September 19, 1995 |
Ferring B.V. |
Turkey | |
FERRING |
589738 |
Pharmaceuticals, medications |
March 16, 1993 |
Ferring B.V. |
Taiwan | |
FERRING |
94/12861 |
Pharmaceutical preparations and substances |
November 23, 1994 |
Ferring B.V. |
South Africa |
The disputed domain name <ferring.me> was registered on August 28, 2012.
The Complainant argued the following:
That the Complainant’s rights in the FERRING Trademark for pharmaceutical products are protected by 59 trademark registrations covering 70 countries;
That the Complainant is also the owner of 50 domain name registrations incorporating the FERRING Trademark, including the <ferringme.com> domain name;
That the Complainant’s rights in the FERRING Trademark predate the registration date of the disputed domain name <ferring.me>. The Complainant received its first registration for FERRING on May 27, 1983. The Complainant also started to register the FERRING domain names in 1996 and registered the domain name <ferringme.com> in 2005. The disputed domain name <ferring.me> was registered on April 28, 2012. Ownership was transferred to the current Respondent sometime between August 6, 2012 and August 29, 2012. The Complainant has established prior rights in the FERRING Trademak through its trademark registrations;
That the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to the FERRING Trademark because it incorporates the FERRING Trademark in its entirety. This may result in the wrongful association of the disputed domain name with the Complainant’s mark;
That customers may wrongfully associate the website of the Respondent with the Complainant;
That such possibility of confusion already exists. Internet searches for the disputed domain name <ferring.me> result in hits for Complainant, including its <ferringme.com> domain name;
That the Complainant’s right in the FERRING Trademark predate the registration date of the disputed domain name <ferring.me>.
That the Complainant has never authorized, contracted, licensed or otherwise permitted Respondent to use the FERRING Trademark, or to use this trademark in any domain name or any variation thereof;
That the Respondent has never been commonly known by the term FERRING or by the domain name <ferring.me> or any variation thereof;
That the failure to make any active use of the disputed domain name, such as the failure to provide accurate information by the Respondent to the Registrar for the disputed domain name <ferring.me> results in a lack of rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name;
That the passive holding of a domain name is not a use in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services and is not a legitimate noncommercial or fair use (and cites Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS v. Kahveci, WIPO Case No. D2000-1244.
That the Complainant’s right in the FERRING Trademark was well established and existed before the registration of the disputed domain name <ferring.me>;
That the current the Respondent obtained ownership of the disputed domain name sometime between August 6, 2012 and August 29, 201 and, therefore, the Respondent’s use and registration of the disputed domain name <ferring.me> occurred well after Complainant established rights in the FERRING Trademark (The California Milk Processor Board v. Shimidt, WIPO Case No. DME2011-0009.);
That the disputed domain name was registered in bad faith since at the time of registration, the registrant had knowledge of the Complainant’s well-known product and trademark FERRING;
That the disputed domain name <ferring.me> was associated to pay-per-click advertisements in the past, but that after said domain name was transferred to the current Respondent, the pay-per-click advertisements were removed and replaced with an inactive website;
That the conduct of passive holding regarding the disputed domain name <ferring.me> and the inaccuracy of the information about the Respondent on the publicly available WhoIs establishes use and registration in bad faith.
The Respondent did not reply to the Complainant’s contentions.
In accordance with paragraph 4(a) of the Policy, the Complainant is requested to prove that each of the three following elements is satisfied:
(i) The disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark in which the Complainant has rights;
(ii) The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name; and
(iii) The disputed domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
As Respondent has failed to submit a Response to the Complainant’s contentions, the Panel may choose to accept as true all of the reasonable allegations of the Complaint (see Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. v. null John Zuccarini, Country Walk, WIPO Case No. D2002-0487).
The Complainant’s trademark FERRING is entirely comprised in the disputed domain name <ferring.me>.
The addition of the ccTLD “.me” is irrelevant for the purposes of this analysis, as it does not add any distinctiveness to the disputed domain name (see, mutatis mutandis, Antena 3 de Televisión S.A. c/ D. Javier García Quintas, WIPO Case No. D2002-0537, CBS Broadcasting Inc. v. Worldwide Webs, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2000-0834; Ahmanson Land Company v. Vince Curtis, WIPO Case No. D2000-0859).
Therefore, the Panel finds that the disputed domain name is identical to the trademark of the Complainant. The first element of the Policy has been met.
The following are examples of circumstances where a respondent may have rights or legitimate interests in a domain name:
(i) before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the domain name or a name corresponding to the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services; or
(ii) you (as an individual, business, or other organization) have been commonly known by the domain name, even if you have acquired no trademark or service mark rights; or
(iii) you are making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name, without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademark or service mark at issue. (Policy, paragraph 4(c)).
The case file does not contain any evidence showing that the Respondent has used or made preparations to use the disputed domain name. The said domain name is not currently resolving to any website.
Since the Respondent did not file a Response to the Complaint, there is no evidence on the record suggesting that the Respondent has been commonly known as <ferring.me>. The Complainant has proven to hold more than 50 trademarks in different jurisdictions, more than 50 domain names, and is known as FERRING in various countries around the world.
In the Panel’s view, the Respondent’s non-use of the disputed domain name cannot be deemed to be fair or legitimate. The Complainant has proven that the Respondent has taken active steps to conceal its true contact details, and perhaps its true identity (See Telstra Corporation Limited v. Nuclear Marshmallows, WIPO Case No. D2000-0003).
Accordingly, the Panel finds that the Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. The second element of the Policy has been met.
According to Paragraph 4(b) of the Policy, the following circumstances shall be evidence of registration and use in bad faith on the part of the Respondent:
(i) circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or
(ii) you have registered the domain name in order to prevent the owner of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain name, provided that you have engaged in a pattern of such conduct; or
(iii) you have registered the domain name primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of a competitor; or
(iv) by using the domain name, you have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your website or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your website or location or of a product or service on your website or location.”
These circumstances are examples of bad faith conducts, but they do not constitute the exclusive circumstances under which bad faith can be found.
The Complainant has pointed out that this is a case of passive holding. Therefore, the Panel will analyze the factors set out in Telstra Corporation Limited v. Nuclear Marshmallows, WIPO Case No. D2000-0003, to determine whether the Respondent’s non-use constitutes bad faith under the Policy and UDRP case law:
(i) the Complainant’s trademark FERRING does have a strong presence and reputation and is widely known around the world, as evidenced by the numerous trademark registration certificates and evidence of use submitted by the Complainant;
(ii) the Respondent has provided no evidence whatsoever of any actual or contemplated good faith use by it of the disputed domain name;
(iii) the Respondent has taken active steps to conceal its actual contact details, such as telephone number and zip code, and for this reason, the Panel does not know the actual identity of the Respondent, which did not provide a Response;
(iv) the Respondent has actively provided and failed to correct false contact details, in breach of its registration agreement; and
(v) taking into account all of the above, it is not possible to conceive of any plausible actual or contemplated active use of the disputed domain name by the Respondent that would not be illegitimate, such as passing off, infringing consumer protection legislation, or infringing the Complainant’s rights under trademark law.
Therefore, this case has passed the test set out in Telstra Corporation Limited v. Nuclear Marshmallows, WIPO Case No. D2000-0003. Since the Respondent has not explained to this Panel the reason for providing false contact information, and for adopting the trademark FERRING as its domain name, which fully incorporates a trademark that has a substantial presence internationally, this Panel is of the opinion that the Respondent’s passive holding conduct constitutes bad faith under the Policy. The final element of the Policy has therefore been met.
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 <ferring.me> be transferred to the Complainant.
Kiyoshi Tsuru
Sole Panelist
Date: December 12, 2012