1. Parties and Contested Domain Name
This is a domain name dispute under the ICANN Uniform Domain Name Dispute
Resolution Policy (the “UDRP”). Complainant is Logan Consulting, whose place of business is
at 70 West Madison, Chicago, IL 60602.
Respondent is Benchmark Solutions, Inc. (n/k/a
Baisys Solutions, Inc.), with a place of business at 27600 Northwestern
Hwy, Southfield, MI 48034.
Complainant requests transfer of the <loganconsulting.com> domain
name, which was registered by Respondent on February 14, 1997.
2. Procedural history
The electronic version of the Complaint form was
filed on-line through eResolution’s Website on April 18, 2001. The hardcopy of
the Complaint Form and annexes were received on April 19, 2001.
Payment was received on April 18, 2001.
Upon receiving all the required information,
eResolution’s clerk proceeded to:
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Confirm the identity of the Registrar for the contested Domain Name;
-
Verify the Registrar’s Whois Database and confirm all the essential
contact information for Respondent;
-
Verify if the contested Domain Name resolved to an active Web page;
-
Verify if the Complaint was administratively compliant.
This inquiry lead the Clerk of eResolution to the
following conclusions: the Registrar is Network Solutions Inc, the Whois
database contains all the required contact information, the contested Domain
Name resolves to an inactive Web page and the Complaint is administratively
compliant.
An email was sent to the Registrar by eResolution
Clerk’s Office to obtain confirmation and a copy of the Registration Agreement
on April 18, 2001. The requested
information was received April 23, 2001.
The Clerk then proceeded to send a copy of the
Complaint Form and the required Cover Sheet in accordance with paragraph 2 (a)
of the ICANN’s Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.
The Clerk’s Office fulfilled all its responsibilities under Paragraph
2(a) in forwarding the Complaint to the Respondent, notifying the Complainant,
the concerned Registrar and ICANN on April 23, 2001.
This date is the official commencement date of the administrative
proceeding.
The complaint, official notification and all the
annexes were sent via registered mail with proof of service, to the respondent.
According to the Canada Post tracking system, all were delivered.
eResolution, for exceptional circumstances has
granted a 5 days delay to the respondent.
On May, 18, 2001, the Respondent submitted, via
eResolution Internet site, his response. The
signed version of the response was received on May, 18, 2001.
On May, 24, 2001, the Clerk’s Office contacted
Merton Thompson, and requested that he acts as panelist in this case.
On May, 29, 2001, Merton Thompson, accepted to act
as panelist in this case and filed the necessary Declaration of Independence and
Impartiality.
On May 30, 2001, the Clerk’s Office forwarded a
user name and a password to Merton Thompson, allowing him to access the
Complaint Form, the Response Form, and the evidence through eResolution’s
Automated Docket Management System.
On May, 30, 2001, the parties were notified that Merton Thompson
had been appointed and that a decision was to be, save exceptional
circumstances, handed down on June 13, 2001.
Along with the file, both parties indicated that
they would like to submit additional information to their case (modification of
the complaint form and of the response form, and additional annexes).
This request was denied by the Panelist.
3. Factual Backgrounds
Complainant provides
consulting services in software implementation, project management
implementation, software tools, and coordination. Complainant’s corporate name is L G Consulting, Inc., but
in 1995, Complainant filed for and received the assumed corporate name of Logan
Consulting. Complainant claims a
common law trademark in the name Logan Consulting.
Respondent is in the
similar business of installing and selling computer software, and providing
consulting services. Respondent was
founded by Timothy Cartwright, a former employee at Logan Consulting.
Timothy Cartwright no longer works at Respondent business.
On February 14, 1997, David Church, the president of Respondent business,
registered the domain name of <loganconsulting.com>.
4. Parties' Contentions
Complainant offers the
following to make its case for the transfer of the domain name <loganconsulting.com>:
i)
Copy or Similarity
Complainant
states that the domain name at issue is identical to Complainant’s trade name
and common law trademark of Logan Consulting.
ii)
Illegitimacy
Complainant
claims the right to the domain name <loganconsulting.com> because prior to
the domain name dispute, Respondent had not used the domain name in connection
with a bona fide offering of goods and services; Respondent is not known by the
domain name; and Respondent is not currently making a legitimate fair use of the
domain name.
iii)
Bad Faith
Complainant
contends that Respondent has used the domain name in bad faith because
Respondent registered the domain name for the purpose of selling, renting, or
otherwise transferring it to Complainant; Respondent does not do business as
Logan Consulting and is a direct competitor of Logan Consulting; and a former
employee of Complainant (Timothy Cartwright) is closely affiliated with
Respondent.
Respondent claims that
it has a legitimate interest in using the domain name <loganconsulting.com>
because of Respondent’s founder’s past affiliation with Logan Consulting.
Respondent contends that it might like to use the domain name in the
future in connection with its consulting business.
Furthermore,
Respondent claims that Complainant acted in bad faith by coming to an agreement
with Respondent as to transfer of the domain name, and then reneging on that
agreement.
Finally, Respondent
claims that the name Logan Consulting cannot be of high value to Complainant
because Complainant has not registered a federal or state trademark for the name.
5. Discussions and Findings
The parties disagree
on whom may use the <loganconsulting.com> domain name for the purposes of
promoting their business. Under
UDRP ¶ 4(a), Complainant bears the burden of proving that:
(i)
The domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or
service mark in which Complainant has rights; and
(ii)
Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain
name; and
(iii)
the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
Therefore, the
question before this panel is whether Complainant has met its burden with
respect to the three elements.
(i)
The panel finds that Complainant has met its burden with respect to the
first element. Paragraph 15(a) of
the Rules allows that: "A Panel shall 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." Since
all parties are domiciled in the United States this Panel will apply the
trademark law of the United States. Under
United States law, use in commerce establishes protectable trademark rights
under United States common law. Such common law rights have been deemed an adequate
basis for a request under the UDRP (see Media Research Center v. Nick Bucci Case
No. D 2000-1280). The Panel finds
that Complainant has a common law trademark right in the name Logan Consulting,
a mark that is identical to the <loganconsulting.com> domain name at
issue.
(ii)
The panel finds that Complainant has met its burden with respect to
establishing that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the domain
name at issue. Respondent is not
currently using the domain name <loganconsulting.com>nor has Respondent
provided evidence of 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. There was also
no evidence submitted that would support a finding that Respondent has been
commonly known by the domain name. Respondent
provides a weak argument that it is holding the domain name to possibly use it
in the future because of a former employee’s (Mr. Cartwright) prior connection
to Complainant, Logan Consulting. The
fact that Mr. Cartwright no longer works at Logan Consulting, in combination
with the fact that <loganconsulting.com> is not in use, over four years
after its registration, lead the panel to find that Respondent’s argument
fails to show that Respondent has a right or legitimate interest in <loganconsulting.com>.
(iii)
The panel finds that Complainant has met its burden in establishing that
the domain at issue was registered and is being used in bad faith.
The UDRP lists the following circumstances as evidence of a registration
and use in bad faith in ¶ 4(b):
For the purposes of
Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular but without
limitation, if found by the panel to be present, shall be evidence of the
registration and use of a domain name in bad faith:
(i)
circumstances indicating that Respondent has registered or Respondent has
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 Respondent’s documented
out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or
(ii)
Respondent has 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 Respondent has engaged in a pattern of such conduct;
or
(iii)
Respondent has registered the domain name primarily for the purpose of
disrupting the business of a competitor; or
(iv)
by using the domain name, Respondent has intentionally attempted to
attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to Respondent’s web site 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
Respondent’s web site or location or of a product or service on Respondent’s
web site or location.
(i)
The panel finds that the evidence submitted supports the conclusion that
Respondent registered the domain name at issue to disrupt the business of a
competitor (i.e., Complainant). The
submitted evidence indicates that the parties are in competition with each
other. Additionally, the submitted
evidence indicates that there is bad blood between Complainant and
Respondent’s founder.
6. Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, the panel concludes that
the Complainant has met its burden of proof under the UDRP 4(a), and that
Respondent has not met its burden of proof with regards to any of the three
available affirmative defenses available in UDRP 4(c).
Accordingly, the panel finds the domain name <loganconsulting.com.>
should be transferred to Complainant.
7. Signature
(s)
Merton Thompson |
Boston,
Massachusetts, USA |
June
12, 2001 |
Presiding
Panelist |
|