Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2011-1910
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 01:02:23+00:00

Document:
The disputed domain name <basf-usa.com> is registered with Hangzhou E-Business Services Co., Ltd (the “Registrar”).
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on November 3, 2011. On November 3, 2011, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On November 4, 2011, 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 November 9, 2011, the Center transmitted by email to the parties in both Chinese and English regarding the language of proceedings. On November 10, 2011, the Complainant confirmed its request that English be the language of proceedings. The Respondent did not comment on the language of proceedings by the specified due date.
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 November 16, 2011. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was December 6, 2011. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on December 8, 2011.
The Center appointed Yijun Tian as the sole panelist in this matter on January 12, 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.
Complainant, Basf SE, is a company incorporated in Ludwigshafen, Germany. It is the largest chemical company in the world. Basf SE and its subsidiaries (the “Basf Group”) employ about 105,000 people in 170 countries worldwide.
Complainant has registered a large number (more than 1,500) of national, Community and International trademarks reflecting the term BASF, including international trademarks registrations (e.g. in China since 1995), trademarks registration in the United States (since 1987), and Community Trademark registrations (since 1998). (Annex D to the Complaint).
Respondent registered the disputed domain name <basf-usa.com> on March 15, 2011, which are long after Complainant operated web sites with the registration of the BASF trade marks in the U.S. (since 1987).
The disputed domain name incorporates Complainant’s trademark BASF in whole. In previous UDRP cases, this has been held to be sufficient to establish that a domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s registered trademarks.
The addition of the term “usa” cannot exclude the likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s trademarks.
Complainant is also doing business in the USA, it rather increases the likelihood of confusion as Internet users, when visiting “www.basf-usa.com”, will expect to see the official U.S. website of Complainant.
The fact that the disputed domain name has a different capitalization in comparison with Complainant’s trademark BASF has got no effect in this case, since “this distinction does not change the likelyhood of confusion”.
In the light of Complainant's registered trademarks and the goodwill and reputation of the mark BASF, the registration of the disputed domain name <basf-usa.com> is a misrepresentation by implying that the disputed domain name is somehow connected with, associated with or authorized by Complainant, while, in fact, it is not.
Presently, the disputed domain name is used for a domain name parking page on which the disputed domain name is offered for sale. (Annex E to the Complaint).
Respondent does not show any rights or legitimate interests with respect to the disputed domain name.
Respondent does not use the disputed domain name for a bona fide offering of goods or services and are not making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of it.
Respondent is not, and never has been, a representative or licensee of Complainant, nor is Respondent otherwise authorized to use the mark BASF and/or the name “Basf USA”.
Respondent was not commonly known by the names “Basf” and/or “Basf USA” prior to the registration the disputed domain name.
(i) The disputed domain name has been registered in bad faith.
The disputed domain name was registered by Respondent on March 15, 2011 (Annex A to the Complaint). By the time of the registration of the disputed domain name, Complainant’s trademark BASF had already been registered and used for many years.
BASF is a famous trademark enjoying protection on a global basis. The disputed domain name was registered with these trademarks in mind.
Respondent is offering the disputed domain name for sale. The disputed domain name has only been registered by Respondent with the purpose to benefit from the famous trademark of Complainant.
(ii) The disputed domain name has also been used in bad faith.
Complainant first learned of Respondent’s registration of the disputed domain name when it received an e-mail on September 20, 2011 with which the disputed domain name was offered for sale. (Annex F to the Complaint). Respondent tried to sell the disputed domain name to Complainant, thus taking profit of the worldwide fame of the BASF mark.
The disputed domain name was only registered for the purpose of selling it to Complainant. Complainant sent a cease and desist letter to Respondent. (Annex G to the Complaint). Respondent replied e-mail on the same day, asking them to make an offer for the disputed domain name via the website at “www.basf-usa.com”. (Annex G to the Complaint).
The website that is hosted under the disputed domain name has never been used for purposes other than offering the disputed domain name for sale. The disputed domain name has not only been offered for sale directly to Complainant and via the website hosted under “www.basf-usa.com”, but it is also offered for sale on the domain trading platform SEDO. (Annex E to the Complaint).
(a) Complainant would be disadvantaged by having to have the Complaint translated into Chinese.
(b) Already Annexes F and H to the Complaint show that the e-mails sent by Respondent to Complainant and Complainant's representative were written in English. Right after Complainant's representatives filed the Complaint, Respondent sent two further e-mails to Complainant's representatives in English language with which he asked for a payment of USD 3500 and EUR 3500, respectively.
(c) Respondent is obviously able to understand the Complaint even if the same is written in English language and is also able to file counter-arguments in English.
(d) The translation of the Complaint into Chinese is therefore not needed. It would only incur substantial further cost for Complainant and cause an undue delay of the proceedings.
Paragraph 11(a) of the Rules allows the Panel to determine the language of the proceeding having regard to all the circumstances. In particular, it is established practice to take paragraphs 10(b) and (c) of the Rules into consideration for the purpose of determining the language of the proceeding. In other words, it is important to ensure fairness to the parties and the maintenance of an inexpensive and expeditious avenue for resolving domain name disputes. (Whirlpool Corporation, Whirlpool Properties, Inc. v. Hui'erpu (HK) electrical appliance co. ltd., WIPO Case No. D2008-0293; Solvay S.A. v. Hyun-Jun Shin, WIPO Case No. D2006-0593). The language finally decided by the Panel for the proceeding should not be prejudicial to either one of the parties in his or her abilities to articulate the arguments for the case. (Groupe Auchan v. xmxzl, WIPO Case No. DCC2006-0004).
The Panel has taken into consideration the facts that Complainant is a company incorporated in Germany, and Complainant will be spared the burden of dealing with Chinese as the language of the proceeding. The Panel has also taken into consideration the fact that the disputed domain name includes English word “usa”. (Expoconsult B.V. trading as CMP Information v. Roc Guan, WIPO Case No. D2008-1600; Compagnie Gervais Danone v. Xiaole Zhang, WIPO Case No. D2008-1047; see also AB Electrolux v. zhutao, Ma Yun, WIPO Case No. D2011-1651).
On the record, Respondent appears to be Chinese individuals and are thus presumably not a native English speaker, but the Panel finds that persuasive evidence in the present proceeding to suggest that Respondent may have sufficient knowledge of English. In particular, the Panel notes that, based on the evidence provided by Complainant, (a) the disputed domain name <basf-usa.com> is registered in Latin characters and particularly in English language, rather than Chinese script; (b) Respondent’s website at the disputed domain name appear entirely in the English language, and appears to have been directed to Internet users in worldwide (particularly English speakers) rather than Chinese speakers; (see Annex E to the Complaint); (c) in Respondent’s e-mail communication that Respondent is sufficiently capable of communicating in English. (See Annexes F and H to the Complaint; Email attachments to the Language Request of the Complainant); (d) the Center has notified Respondent of the proceedings in both Chinese and English, and Respondent has indicated no objection to Complainant’s request that English be the language of the proceeding; and (e) the Center informed Respondent that it would accept a Response in either English or Chinese.
The Panel finds that Complainant has rights in the BASF mark acquired through registration. The BASF mark has been registered worldwide including in USA and China (see Annex D to the Complaint), and Complainant has a widespread reputation in chemical industry in the world.
The disputed domain name <basf-usa.com> comprises the BASF mark in its entirety. The disputed domain name only differs from Complainant’s trademark by the addition of “-” and the term “usa” to the mark BASF. This does not seem to eliminate the identity or at least the similarity between Complainant’s registered trademark and the disputed domain name.
Mere addition of the suffix “-usa” to Complainant’s mark fails to distinguish. By contrast, it may increase the likelihood of confusion. Consumers who visit the website at the disputed domain name <basf-usa.com> are likely to be confused and may falsely believe that <basf-usa.com> is operated or authorized by Complainant for selling Basf-branded products in China (see ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. v. A.B.B Transmission Engineering Co., Ltd., WIPO Case No. D2007-1466; Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba dba Toshiba Corporation v. WUFACAI, WIPO Case No. D2006-0768; See also Jurlique International Pty Ltd v. Domains by Proxy, Inc. / troy ho, WIPO Case No. D2011-1237).
Thus, the Panel finds that the additions are not sufficient to negate the confusing similarity between the disputed domain name and the BASF mark.
Complainant has rights in the BASF mark globally, including BASF Mark registration in USA since 1987 and international registration covering China (see Annex D to the Complaint) which long precede Respondent’s registrations of the disputed domain name (March 15, 2011).
According to Complainant, Complainant is a world’s leading chemical company more than 160 subsidiaries and joint ventures and operates more than 380 production sites in Europe, Asia, Australia, America and Africa. Moreover, Respondent is not an authorized dealer of Basf branded products. Complainant has therefore established a prima facie case that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name and thereby shifted the burden to Respondent to produce evidence to rebut this presumption (The Argento Wine Company Limited v. Argento Beijing Trading Company, supra; Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web, WIPO Case No. D2000-0624; Croatia Airlines d.d. v. Modern Empire Internet Ltd., WIPO Case No. D2003-0455).
(a) There has been no evidence adduced to show that Respondent is using the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services. Respondent has not provided evidence of a legitimate use of the disputed domain name or reasons to justify the choice of the word “Basf” in its business operation. There has been no evidence to show that Complainant has licensed or otherwise permitted Respondent to use the BASF mark or to apply for or use any domain name incorporating the BASF Mark.
(b) There has been no evidence adduced to show that Respondent has been commonly known by the disputed domain name. There has been no evidence adduced to show that Respondent has any registered trademark rights with respect to the disputed domain name. Respondent registered the disputed domain name on March 15, 2011. The disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to Complainant’s BASF mark.
(c) There has been no evidence adduced to show that Respondent is making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the disputed domain name. By contrast, according to the information provided by Complainant, Respondent was in actuality advertising, offering and selling the disputed domain name to Complainant. (See Annexes F and H to the Complaint; E-mail attachments to the Language Request of the Complainant).
(iv) by using the disputed domain name, Respondent has intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to Respondent’s website or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of Respondent’s website or location or of a product.
The Panel concludes that the circumstances referred to in paragraph 4(b)(i)(iv) of the Policy are applicable to the present case and upon the evidence of these circumstances and other relevant circumstances, it is adequate to conclude that Respondent has registered and used the disputed domain name in bad faith.
The Panel finds that Complainant has a widespread reputation in the BASF mark with regard to its products. Complainant has registered its BASF mark internationally, including registration in USA (since 1987) and international registration covering China.
Based on the information provided by Complainant, Complainant is a world’s leading chemical company more than 160 subsidiaries and joint ventures and operates more than 380 production sites in Europe, Asia, Australia, America and Africa. It is not conceivable that Respondent would not have had actual notice of Complainant’s trademark rights at the time of the registration of the disputed domain name (in March 2011). The Panel therefore finds that the disputed domain name are not one that one could legitimately adopt other than for the purpose of creating an impression of an association with Complainant. (The Argento Wine Company Limited v. Argento Beijing Trading Company, supra).
Thus, the Panel concludes that the disputed domain name was registered in bad faith with the intent to create an impression of an association with Complainant’s BASF mark.
Complainant has adduced evidence to prove that “Respondent has registered or acquired the disputed domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registrations to Complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of Complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of Respondent’s documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the disputed domain name”. Complainant has also adduced evidence to prove that by using a confusingly similar domain name, Respondent has “intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to Respondent’s website”.
Complainant claimed that “the disputed domain name was only registered for the purpose of selling it to the Complainant”. Complainant first learned of Respondent’s registration of the disputed domain name when it received an e-mail on September 20, 2011 with which the disputed domain name was offered for sale. (Annex F to the Complaint). After Complainant sent a cease and desist letter to Respondent (Annex G to the Complaint), Respondent replied e-mail on the same day, asking them to make an offer for the disputed domain name via the website at “www.basf-usa.com”. (Annex G to the Complaint). The disputed domain name has not only been offered for sale directly to Complainant and via the website hosted under the disputed domain name <basf-usa.com>, but it is also offered for sale on the domain trading platform SEDO. (Annex E to the Complaint).
Given the widespread reputation of the BASF mark, the Panel finds that the public is likely to be confused into thinking that the disputed domain name has a connection with Complainant, contrary to the fact. There is a strong likelihood of confusion as to source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the website to which the disputed domain name is resolved. In other words, Respondent has through the use of a confusingly similar domain name created a likelihood of confusion with the BASF mark. Noting also that apparently no clarification as to Respondent’s relationship to Complainant is made on the webpage of the disputed domain name, potential partners and end users are led to believe that the disputed domain name is either Complainant’s sites or the sites of official authorized partners of Complainant, which they are not. Moreover, Respondent did not respond formally to the Complaint. The Panel therefore concludes that the disputed domain name was used by Respondent in bad faith.
In summary, Respondent, by choosing to register and use the disputed domain name, which is confusingly similar to Complainant’s well-known trademarks, intended to ride on the goodwill of Complainant’s trademarks in an attempt to exploit, for commercial gain, Internet users destined for Complainant. In the absence of evidence to the contrary and rebuttal from Respondent, the choice of the disputed domain name and the conduct of Respondent as far as the website on to which the disputed domain name resolves is indicative of registration and use of the disputed domain name in bad faith.
For all 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 <basf-usa.com> be transferred to Complainant.

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