Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=D2012-1726
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 02:36:03+00:00

Document:
The Respondent is Barbara McBane of Oakland, California, United States of America.
The disputed domain name <rbs-london.com> is registered with Cloud Group Limited (the “Registrar”).
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 September 12, 2012. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was October 2, 2012. An informal email communication was received from the Respondent on September 17, 2012, whereby the individual Barbara McBane claimed she was wrongly named in this proceeding. The Center acknowledged this communication on September 18, 2012. No further communication was received from the Respondent.
The Center appointed Alain Bensoussan 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 Complainant owns a substantial international portfolio of registered trademarks for RBS and also marks incorporating the term “rbs” and other terms. These registrations cover most of the countries and regions in the world, including the European Union, Canada, Asia and also U.S.A. where the Respondent, as identified by the Registrar, is located. These registrations were filed as early as November 1994. The Complainant also owns a significant number of domain names that incorporate the mark RBS, including the domain names: <rbs.com> and <rbsgroupcom>, registered in 1994 and 1995, respectively, and from which it operates its web site. The list of the “rbs” domain names owned by the Complainant includes names such as: <rbs-uk.org> and <rbsliverpool.com>, totaling a number of over 1, 300 such domain names.
The disputed domain name was registered on May 28, 2012. The Panel has no information on the Respondent, his services or activities, as the Respondent did not formally participate in the proceeding. The only indication as to the former contents of the web site of the Respondent is given by a print out of the screen of the web site that the Complainant filed with the Complaint.
The Complainant contends that the disputed domain name <rbs-london.com> is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s world famous trademark RBS. The fame of the trademark RBS has been confirmed in numerous previous UDRP decisions (see Royal Bank of Scotland Group v. Stealth Commerce v. a.k.a. Telmex Management Services, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2002-0155 and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc v. "Christopher Graham" or "John Graham" dba GRA Marketing CL, WIPO Case No. D2001-0626, and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc and National Westminster Bank plc v. Pritpal Jittla, NAF Claim No. 0660550, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc v. rbspayments, NAF Claim No. 0728805, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc, Citizens Financial Group, Inc., Churchill Insurance Co. Ltd., Hanco ATM Systems Ltd. & Privilege Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Domaincar c/o Perthshire Marketing aka Domaincar, NAF Claim No. 0671079).
According to the Complainant, the addition of the suffix “london” will not have any impact on the overall impression of the dominant part of the disputed domain name, RBS, instantly recognizable as a world famous trademark.
The Complainant concludes that the likehood of confusion includes an obvious association with the trademark of the Complainant and that with reference to the reputation of the trademark RBS, there is a considerable risk that the public will perceive the disputed domain name either as a domain name owned by the Complainant of that there is some kind of commercial relation between the Respondent and the Complainant.
The Complainant further concludes that by using the Complainant’s trademarks, the Respondent exploits the goodwill and the image of these trademarks, which may result in dilution and other damage for the Complainant’s trademark creating a risk of confusion.
According to the Complainant, the Respondent’s failure to respond to the cease and desist letter further indicates that the Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interest in the disputed domain name.
According to the Complainant, it therefore seems that the Respondent has used the disputed domain name to pass itself off as the Complainant in order to drive traffic and customers to its site, potentially phishing for customers’ financial information.
The Complainant contends that the trademark RBS is a well-known and reputed trademark with a substantial and widespread reputation in the finance industry worldwide. It is obvious that the Respondent was aware of the rights the Complainant has in the trademark and the value of said trademark, as the point of the registration.
The Complainant adds that before the web site had been shut down due to fraudulent activities, the Respondent used the disputed domain name to engage in a phishing scam. The Respondent was using the disputed domain name to deceive the Complainant’s customers and manipulate them into divulging sensitive financial information. Thus, the Respondent’s use of the disputed domain name constitutes bad faith registration and use under the Policy.
According to the Complainant, even if the web site is now currently inactive, such passive holding could still constitute an act of bad faith.
The Complainant concludes that its well-known registered and unregistered trademarks and the impossibility of conceiving a good faith use of the disputed domain name are indicative of bad faith.
The Panel finds that RBS is a well-known mark that has received worldwide recognition and that the disputed domain name <rbs-london.com> is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s registered trademarks RBS, even with the addition of the generic and non-distinctive term “london” and the generic top-level domain (gTLD) “.com” designation.
The Panel finds that the addition of a generic term, such as “london” does not serve to distinguish the disputed domain name <rbs-london.com> from the Complainant’s well-known trademarks.
The generic term “london” will be understood by the Internet user only as a geographic indication of the location of services provided under the sign RBS. This addition of the geographic term “london” greatly increases the risk of confusion given that the Complainant has many offices in London and the reputation of the trademark RBS is very high in the United Kingdom in general.
The Respondent has failed to file any formal response and, absent any indication as to its activities and needs, the Panel has to rely on the Complainant’s representations to try and find whether the Respondent has any rights or legitimate interests to the disputed domain name.
Moreover, there is no element which could show that before the proceedings, the Respondent was using the disputed domain name or a trade name corresponding to the disputed domain name in relation with a bona fide offering of goods and services under the disputed domain name and that the Respondent was known under the disputed domain name. The fact that the Respondent did not respond to the cease and desist letter sent by the Complainant underline the lack of rights or legitimate interests of the Respondent to the Panel.
In addition, the Respondent does not make a legitimate and non commercial use of the disputed domain name as shown by the Complainant who noticed a phishing fraud attempt from the disputed domain name which is now inactive.
The Respondent does not appear to have any use for the web site at the moment, since the disputed domain name is now inactive.
Given this situation, the Panel is of the opinion that the Complainant sufficiently showed that the Respondent does not make a bona fide offering of goods and services under the disputed domain name and has not been commonly known under the disputed domain name and finds that the Complainant has satisfied the requirements under paragraph 4(a)(Iii) of the Policy.
(iv) by using the domain name, the Respondent has intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to her website or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant’s marks as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of the Respondent’s website or location or of a product or service on her website or location.
According to the provided screenshot of the website at the disputed domain name, the purported financial services which were previously offered were targeting the Complainant’s customers and the Respondent was using a web site presentation and a logo that are identical to the Complainant’s web site and logo. This Panel is of the opinion that the Respondent was potentially phishing for customers’ financial information and such a risk can not be tolerated under the bad faith analysis.
Combined with the other elements of this case, the fact that today the disputed domain name is inactive is also an evidence of bad faith use.
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, <rbs-london.com>, be transferred to the Complainant.

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