Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2012-1603
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 20:47:52+00:00

Document:
The Respondent is Private Registration/ Miss Swarovski, Vitaia Kamenoff, of Sydney, North South Wales, Australia and Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, respectively.
The disputed domain name <missswarovski.com> is registered with Aust Domains International Pty Ltd dba Aust Domains, Inc. (the “Registrar”).
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the ”Center”) on August 9, 2012. On August 9, 2012, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On August 10, 2012, the registrar transmitted by e-mail 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 August 15, 2012 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 amendment to the Complaint on August 15, 2012.
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 August 16, 2012. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was September 5, 2012. The Respondent did not submit any formal Response, but did send e-mail communications to the Center on August 16, September 4 and September 13, 2012. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on September 12, 2012.
The Center appointed Christos A. Theodoulou as the sole panelist in this matter on October 3, 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 in these proceedings is Swarovski Aktiengesellschaft (Swarovki), a company organized under the laws of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Complainant has a worldwide reputation in crystal jewellery stones and crystalline semi-finished goods for the fashion, jewellery, home accessories, collectibles and lighting industries with an international presence in more than 120 countries according to its uncontested allegations.
The Complainant is the owner of various Australian (among other countries in the world) registered trademarks containing or consisting of SWAROVSKI. It also has Community Trademarks and International registrations for the mark SWAROVSKI and the Device Mark consisting of a swan.
The Complainant further spends substantial effort and money in advertising and promoting its SWAROVSKI marks all over the world, including Australia, according to its uncontested allegations.
The disputed domain name <missswarovski.com> was created and registered by the Respondent on April 11, 2011. The disputed domain name resolved to a website that offered products and services in competition with those products and services offered by the Complainant.
Before engaging in the threefold discussion of paragraph 4(a) of the Policy, the Panel will briefly address the procedural issue relating to the default of the Respondent (notwithstanding the communications the Respondent did make with the Center). The implications of a default in this case are telling since the Complainant has the burden of proof, according to paragraph 4(a) of the Policy (“In the administrative proceeding, the complainant must prove that each of these three elements are present”). As such, the Panel can not merely grant the Complainant’s request automatically due to the default, but it has to examine instead the evidence presented to determine whether or not the Complainant has proved its case, as required by the Policy. See FNAC v. Gauthier Raymond, WIPO Case No. D2004-0881; Sonofon A/S v. Vladimir Aleksic, WIPO Case No. D2007-0668; Gaudi Trade SpA v. Transure Enterprise Ltd, WIPO Case No. D2009-1028.
The Complainant has presented evidence to demonstrate that it owns the rights in the trademark SWAROVSKI in Australia and in many countries all over the world.
The mere fact that the Respondent has added to the mark SWAROVSKI the generic word “miss”, and the suffix “.com” does not to this Panel affect the essence of the matter: the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to the trademark of the Complainant and, in the circumstances of this case, is by itself sufficient to establish criterion of identity or confusing similarity for purposes of the Policy, as many UDRP panels have found in the past, see e.g. Oki Data Americas, Inc. v. ASD, Inc, WIPO Case No. D2001-0903; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. v. K. Harjani Electronics Ltd., WIPO Case No. D2002-1021; DFDS A/S v. NOLDC INC, WIPO Case No. D2006-1070; American Automobile Association, Inc. v. Bladimir, Boyiko and Andrew Michailov, WIPO Case No. D2006-0252.
In view of the above, the Panel finds that the Complainant has discharged its burden of proof on this point and holds that the disputed domain name <missswarovski.com> is identical or confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trademark SWAROVSKI.
(i) Use or demonstrable preparations to use the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services prior to the dispute. In the Panel’s view, the Respondent is not using the disputed domain name to make any bona fide offering of goods or services, in light of the use of the Complainant’s mark in conjunction with the Respondent’s website. Moreover, the website does not appear to offer the Complainant’s goods for sale, although a disclaimer at the bottom of the Respondent’s website indicates “it will be genuine ‘Swarovski’, not an imitation or ‘look like’ if not stated otherwise”, as inter alia the website invites the Internet user to “BE YOUR OWN DESIGNER”. The Panel additionally notes that the website does not accurately and prominently disclose the Respondent’s relationship with the Complainant.
(ii) An indication that the Respondent has been commonly known by the disputed domain name, even if it has acquired no trademark rights. In this case, there is no such indication from the present record, given the apparent commercial use of the website.
(iii) Legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the disputed domain name without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademarks at issue. Again, in this case there is no such indication from the record.
As a conclusion on this point, the Panel finds that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name, and the Complainant has satisfied paragraph 4/a)(ii) of the Policy.
The Respondent’s communications further confirm to the Panel that the Respondent was aware of the Complainant’s rights and registered the disputed domain name in order to capitalize on the Complainant’s marks.
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 <missswarovski.com> be transferred to the Complainant.

References: v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v.