Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2007/d2007-0643.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 16:05:19+00:00

Document:
The Complainant is La Maison Coloniale Int., Paris, France, represented by Cabinet Vittoz, France.
The Respondent is Michael Fournier, Toulouse, United States of America.
The disputed domain name <maisoncolonial.com> is registered with eNom.
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on April 27, 2007. On May 1, 2007, the Center transmitted by email to eNom a request for registrar verification in connection with the domain name at issue. On that same date, eNom transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that the Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details. The Center verified that the Complaint satisfied the formal requirements of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Policy”), 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(a) and 4(a), the Center formally notified the Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on May 9, 2007. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was May 29, 2007. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on May 30, 2007.
The Center appointed Christophe Imhoos as the sole panelist in this matter on June 5, 2007. 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 owner of the trademark LA MAISON COLONIALE registered in France and various other countries, including the United States of America and Canada, as early as 1997 (Annexes C and F to the Complaint).
The Complainant or its Chief Executive is also the owner of the following domain names: <lamaisoncolonoiale.com> registered on August 4, 1998, <la-maison-coloniale.com> registered on June 1, 2000, <lamaisoncoloniale.fr> registered on October 5, 2005, and <la-maison-coloniale.eu> registered on April 24, 2006 (Annex D to the Complaint).
The disputed domain name was registered on May 7, 2005 (Annex A to the Complaint).
The domain name at stake is confusingly similar and practically identical to the Complainant’s trademark. The single differences between the Complainant’s trademark LA MAISON COLONIALE and the disputed domain name <maisoncolonial.com> are the French term “la” (equivalent in English to “the”) and the final letter “e” of the word COLONIALE.
The removal of “la” and the letter “e” do not alleviate the virtual identity of the domain name with Complainant’s trademarks since the disputed domain name reproduces the main element of the Complainant’s trademark, “maison coloniale”.
Given the unique character of the Complainant’s trademark LA MAISON COLONIALE and the practically imperceptible distinction between the mark and the disputed domain name, consumers, on seeing the domain name used also in connection with the sale of furniture, will believe it to be related to the Complainant.
There is no relationship between the Complainant and the Respondent that would give rise to any license, permission or other right by which the Respondent could own or use any domain name incorporating the Complainant’s trademark.
Its unique concept on the creation of furniture, sofas and decorative objects of ethnic inspiration, the development of its related brand worldwide through stores and advertisement and its financial expansion (Annexes H to L to the Complaint) entitle the Complainant to exercise its legitimate interests in the use of the mark LA MAISON COLONIALE to designate a website relating to the sale of furniture.
The domain name in dispute has been registered by the Respondent in bad faith as the latter could not ignore the Complainant’s trademarks in the field, in particular, eight years after the Complainant begun using the trademark LA MAISON COLONIALE, well-known in France and abroad.
The Complainant’s legal counsel wrote a desist letter (Annex M to the Complaint) to the Respondent which was returned because of an erroneous address that mentioned as city Toulouse in France and a United States postal code which is further evidence of bad faith registration.
In addition, the Respondent provides on the disputed website links to other websites where competitive products (furniture, sofas) are offered for sale (Annex N to the Complaint). Such behavior corresponds to the criteria set out at paragraph 4(b)(iv) of the Policy and recognized by precedents which have affirmed that a disputed domain name is used in bad faith when the links are apparently to competitive websites, especially when there is no indication that the links are not sponsored by or affiliated with the relevant trademark owner (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Whois Privacy, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2005-0850).
The Complainant has established its rights in the trademark LA MAISON COLONIALE (Annexes C and F to the Complaint).
The Complainant’s trademark LA MAISON COLONIALE is obviously confusingly similar to the domain name <maisoncolonial.com>. The mere absence of “la” and “e” at the beginning and end of the denomination does not affect that finding insofar as the domain name in question can be considered as containing a minor misspelling of Complainant’s trademark. The letters inversion/suppression/additions in the disputed domain name do not eliminate any risk of confusion with the Complainant’s trademark.
The Respondent’s conduct can be considered as typosquatting, “taking advantage of common misspelling made by Internet users who are looking for a particular provider of goods or services, in order to obtain some benefit therefrom” (Expedia, Inc. v. Alvaro Collazo, WIPO Case No. D2003-0716; InfoSpace, Inc. v. Double Down Magazine, WIPO Case No. D2000-1474). The risk of confusion is reinforced by the fact that the disputed domain name resolves to a webpage containing hyperlinks to websites operating in the scope of sale of furniture and other related items (see Soci�t� Air France v. Bing G Glu, WIPO Case No. D2006-0834; Apagor Distribution S.A.S. v. Richard J., WIPO Case No. D2006-1567).
For the above reasons, the Panel finds that the disputed domain is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trademark.
The Complainant does not appear to have granted any license or to have otherwise permitted the Respondent to use the Complainant’s trademark or to apply for any domain name incorporating the Complainant’s trademark. Moreover, the Respondent is not known by the domain name at stake.
Furthermore, as pointed out by the Complainant in its Complaint, the hyperlinks forwarding to websites operating in the scope of sale of furniture and other related items, in direct competition to those of the Complainant, and to which the disputed domain name is pointing is not a bona fide offering of goods or services under paragraph 4(c)(i) of the Policy or a non-commercial or fair use under paragraph 4(c)(iii) of the Policy (Soci�t� Air France v. Bing G Glu, WIPO Case No. D2006-0834; Apagor Distribution S.A.S. v. Richard J., WIPO Case No. D2006-1567).
The Complainant has relied on paragraph 4(b)(iv) of the Policy to characterize the Respondent’s conduct. Actual evidence, i.e., the contents of the website of the disputed domain name, shows that the Respondent is offering the same kind of services of those of the Complainant under the circumstances described above, creating thereby a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of its website and services (see Apagor Distribution S.A.S. v. Richard J., WIPO Case No. D2006-1567).
Such conduct, in the Panel’s view, has to be considered, prima facie, as bad faith registration and use pursuant to paragraph 4(b)(iv) of the Policy.
Finally, bad faith registration and use is further suggested by the fact, as rightly pointed out by the Complainant, that the Respondent has concealed its true identity as domain name holder (see Annex A to the Complaint), strongly indicating a bad faith intention (see e.g. Telstra Corporation Limited v. Nuclear Marshmallows, WIPO Case No. D2000-0003; see also Flowil International Lighting (Holding) B.V., SLI Sylvania Europe v. Sylvania Lighting International, WIPO Case No. D2006-0687) pursuant to the general meaning of paragraph 4(b) of the Policy.
For all the foregoing reasons, in accordance with paragraphs 4(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, the Panel orders that the domain name <maisoncolonial.com> be transferred to the Complainant.

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