Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2012-1783
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 12:06:31+00:00

Document:
The Complainants are "Dr. Martens" International Trading GmbH of Gräfelfing, Germany and "Dr. Maertens" Marketing GmbH of Seeshaupt, Germany, represented by Beetz & Partner, Germany.
The Respondent is mu tian, tian muxieyeyouxiangongsi of Shanghai, China.
The disputed domain name <drmartenuk.com> is registered with HiChina Zhicheng Technology Ltd. (the “Registrar”).
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on September 5, 2012. On September 5, 2012, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On September 6, 2012, the Registrar transmitted by email 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 September 12, 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 September 12, 2012. On September 11, 2012, the Center transmitted an email to the parties in both Chinese and English language regarding the language of the proceeding. On the same day, the Complainant confirmed its request that English be the language of the proceeding. The Respondent did not comment on the language of the proceeding 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 proceeding commenced on September 18, 2012. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was October 8, 2012. The Respondent did not submit any Response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on October 9, 2012.
The Center appointed Sebastian M.W. Hughes as the sole panelist in this matter on October 18, 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 Complainants1 are companies incorporated in Germany and the owners of numerous national and international registrations for the trade mark DR. MARTENS (the “Trade Mark”), the earliest dating from 1983, including an international registration designating China, where the Respondent is based. The Trade Mark is a well-known trade mark in respect of footwear.
The disputed domain name was registered on November 28, 2011.
The Trade Mark is a famous international brand for footwear, clothing and accessories. The Complainant is particularly renowned for its shoes and boots, first sold under the Trade Mark in the late 1950s. The Complainant markets and sells footwear, clothing and accessories under the Trade Mark worldwide through retailers and online.
The disputed domain name is confusingly similar to the Trade Mark. It comprises the wording “drmarten”, which is identical with the Trade Mark save that the letter “s” is missing, together with the non-distinctive descriptive designation for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, “uk”.
The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name. The Respondent is not affiliated with or authorised by the Complainant in any way and is not commonly known by the disputed domain name. The Respondent is not making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the disputed domain name.
The disputed domain name has been registered and used in bad faith.
The disputed domain name is being used in respect of an unauthorised website which contains sponsored links to several third party websites, including websites which offer for sale the Complainant’s footwear under the Trade Mark (the “Website”).
(3) As the Complaint and its Annexes have been filed in English, it would make sense for practical and legal reasons to conduct the proceeding in English.
The Panel does not find the first reason tendered by the Complainant in its language submission persuasive. In deciding a language request, it is the ability of the Respondent to understand a language other than the language of the registration agreement which is usually determinative under UDRP jurisprudence. Whether the Registrar understands English is not relevant.
Similarly, the Complainant has not made any submissions in support of its assertion that there are legal reasons for conducting the proceeding in English.
The Panel notes, however, with reference to Annex 5 (a screen shot of the Website), it appears the Respondent is proficient in the English language (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). The Website is predominantly in English language, with some of the links on the Website in German.
The Panel finds that the Complainant has rights in the Trade Mark acquired through use and registration which predate the date of registration of the disputed domain name by over 60 years.
It is also established that the addition of generic terms to a domain name has little, if any, effect on a determination of confusing similarity between the domain name and the mark (Quixtar Investments, Inc. v. Dennis Hoffman, WIPO Case No. D2000-0253); furthermore, mere addition of a generic or descriptive term generally does not exclude the likelihood of confusion (PRL USA Holdings, Inc. v. Spiral Matrix, WIPO Case No. D2006-0189).
In the present case, the disputed domain name contains the wording “drmarten” which is almost identical with the Trade Mark, save that it is missing the final letter “s”. The Panel concludes that the addition of the acronym “uk”, the common abbreviation for the United Kingdom, does not serve to distinguish the disputed domain name from the Trade Mark, in particular as the Complainant’s footwear under the Trade Mark has been traditionally manufactured in and associated with the United Kingdom.
There is no evidence that the Complainant has authorised, licensed, or permitted the Respondent to register or use the disputed domain name or to use the Trade Mark. The Complainant has prior rights in the Trade Mark which precede the Respondent’s registration of the disputed domain name by over 60 years. There is therefore a prima facie case that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name, and the burden is thus on the Respondent to produce evidence to rebut this presumption (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).
The Respondent has failed to show that it has acquired any trade mark rights in respect of the disputed domain name or that the disputed domain name is used in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services. To the contrary, the disputed domain name is being used in respect of the Website which has not been authorised by the Complainant and which provides sponsored links to third party websites offering for sale, inter alia, the Complainant’s footwear under the Trade Mark.
The evidence shows the Respondent has registered the disputed domain name and set up the Website in order to capitalise on the repute of the Trade Mark and gain revenue through attracting consumers to the Website, by providing sponsored links to third party websites offering various products and services including the Complainant’s footwear products under the Trade Mark.
At some stage following the filing of the Complaint, the Website has been taken down. As at the date of this Decision, the disputed domain name is resolved to a blank page containing the simple wording “Domain drmartenuk.com is parked”. In all the circumstances of this proceeding, including the failure of the Respondent to file a Response, the Panel finds this is a further indication of bad faith.
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 <drmartenuk.com> be transferred to the Complainant.
1 For ease of reference, the Complainants shall be referred to in the singular in this Decision.

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