Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2004/d2004-0570.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 12:37:47+00:00

Document:
The Complainant is Bank for International Settlements of Basel, Switzerland, represented by Rory Macfie of the Bank for International Settlements, Basel, Switzerland.
The Respondent is G.I Joe of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States of America.
The disputed domain name <bfois.org> is registered with AAAQ.com, Inc.
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the�“Center”) on July 30, 2004. On July 30, 2004, the Center transmitted by email to AAAQ.com, Inc. a request for registrar verification in connection with the domain name at issue. On July 30, 2004, AAAQ.com, Inc. transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that the Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details for the administrative and technical contact. 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 August 10, 2004. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was August�30,�2004. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on September 1, 2004.
The Center appointed Luca Barbero as the sole panelist in this matter on September�10,�2004. 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 registered owner of the International Trademark Registration No. 644772 of September�12,�1995, for BIS, in classes 36, 38, 41 and 42, based on the national Swiss registration No. 418612 of March 13, 1995.
Under Article 6ter of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of 1883, as amended in Lisbon in 1958, the initials BIS and name Bank for International Settlements have been protected since 1965, as the English initials and name of an international intergovernmental organization, together with its translations in French and German. Such names have also been protected as marks under Swiss law since June 1,�1962.
The disputed domain name <bfois.org> was registered by the Respondent on May�25,�2004.
The Complainant underlines to the Panel that domain name <bfois.org> is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trademark since it contains all three letters of the Complainant’s acronym and the only difference is the addition of the letters “fo,” which are merely an abbreviation of the preposition “for” and according to the Complainant is unlikely to influence the overall impression left by the domain name.
Furthermore, the Complainant indicates that the domain name <bfois.org> is redirected to a website which copies the name and logo of the Complainant and - but for the only difference, which is the use of the initials “bfois” instead of “bis” - any ordinary person would be led to believe that the website is operated or sponsored by the Complainant. The Complainant has provided the Panel with copies of the printout of the web pages as published on the website “www.bfois.org” on June 23, 2004.
The Respondent has used fictitious data for the registration of the disputed domain name both as registrant and as administrative contact.
With reference to bad faith use, the Complainant has provided evidence to the Panel that the Respondent had addressed a communication to a third party from an alleged email address of Mr. Robert Sleeper (who is an actual member of the Senior Management of the Complainant), but with the address “RobertSleepers@bfois.org”[sic] requesting money from the recipient, purportedly in order to facilitate a much larger fund transfer to the recipient at a later stage.
Complainant has provided evidence that the disputed domain name is being used with the intent for commercial gain by the Respondent since it is undoubtedly used to divert Internet users and tarnish the trademark. The facts and evidence to support the Complainant’s contention include: the scam letter addressed via that domain name; the Respondent’s website at “www.bfois.org” which reproduces Complainant’s website (Respondent merely changed BIS to BFOIS throughout the site) leading any Internet user to believe it is consulting the Complainant’s official website; the similarity of the domain name to the registered trademark and to the Bank’s acronym.
With reference to the issue of bad faith at the time of registration, notwithstanding the fact that the Bank for International Settlement is well-known worldwide amongst financial institutions, the Panel notes that the Respondent has even adopted the fictitious name “Bfisonline” as Registrant of <bfois.org>, therefore hinting at an alleged affiliation with the Bank for International Settlement, but consequently attesting to its prior knowledge of the Complainant.
As to the use in bad faith, the Panel finds paragraph�4(b)(iv) of the Policy to be clearly applicable in this case since the Respondent has attempted to attract Internet users to its website for commercial gain, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation and endorsement of Respondent’s services. Namely, the Respondent has used an email account opened on the disputed domain name to request the transfer of US$12,000 to a bank based in Taipei stating “… which will be used to check that all the information provided by you are not false; this is company policy because of the general world situation of terrorism we have to check everything” [sic] (as per the email of June 1, 2004, addressed from the account “RobertSleepers@bfois.org”).
Furthermore, the Panel notes that also the name indicated by the Respondent as administrative contact for <bfois.org> “G.I Joe”, is likely false. It corresponds to an “action hero” toy produced by Hasbro (see “http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/default.cfm”) and it seems to the Panel a rather unrealistic coincidence. A number of prior Panels have found that deliberately furnishing false contact information to a domain name registrar can constitute bad faith in registration and use.
The Panel agrees that this is the case in the present procedure. See Verio Inc. v. Sunshinehh, WIPO Case No. D2003-0255 where the Panel remarked “The Respondent is elusive,” and this contributed to a finding of bad faith in registration and use. In a similar vein, see Home Director, Inc. v. HomeDirector, WIPO�Case No. D2000-0111 where “false and misleading” contact information led to a finding of bad faith in registration and use and also Kelemata S.p.A. v. Mr. Bassarab Dungaciu,�WIPO Case No. D2003-0849; Chanel�v.�1,�WIPO Case No. D2003-0218; Action Instruments, Inc v. Technology Associates, WIPO Case No. D2003-0024; Wachovia Corporation v. Peter Carrington, WIPO Case No.�D2002-0775; Royal Bank of Scotland Group v. Stealth Commerce a.k.a. Telmex Management Services, Inc., WIPO Case No.�D2002-0155; and, Oxygen Media, LLC v. Primary Source, WIPO Case No.�D2000-0362.
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 <bfois.org> be transferred to the Complainant.

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