Source: https://internet-law.ru/intlaw/udrp/2000/d2000-0300.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 12:01:06+00:00

Document:
Complainant submitted a trademark and service mark registration application for "Monty Roberts" on the Principal Register of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) covering, inter alia, clothing and leather goods, as well as training services (Complaint, para. 13 and Exhibit C). This application (serial number 75/620210), filed January 13, 1999, was subsequently deemed abandoned by the PTO, due to Complainant’s failure to file a timely response to a question raised by the PTO (Id., footnote 1). According to Complainant, this failure was the result of a misdelivered PTO Office Action document, and Complainant asserts it is in the process of curing the determination of abandonment (id). For purposes of this proceeding, Complainant has no trademark registration application pending at the U.S. PTO.
Complainant has registered and uses the domain name "montyroberts.com" in connection with the offering and sale of its services and goods (Complaint, para. 14 and Exhibit O). A Network Solutions’ WHOIS database search undertaken by the Panel on June 7, 2000 indicates that this domain name was registered on April 2, 1997, that the record was last updated on May 26, 2000, and that Complainant is the registrant.
Respondent registered and uses the disputed domain name "montyroberts.org". A Network Solutions’ WHOIS database query response (Complaint, Annex A) indicates that J. Bartell, with Administrative Contact at "Bartell, J", is the registrant of the domain name "MONTYROBERTS.ORG". The record of this registration was created on November 11, 1998, and was last updated on November 11, 1998.
Respondent has used the disputed domain name for a number of purposes. These include: (1) to provide information concerning Monty Roberts that is predominantly of a negative character (Response, Exhibit E); (2) to display on its website and direct Internet users to a website ("comboyjustice.com") via hyperlink that offers for sale clothing products, coffee mugs and other "Anti-Monty Roberts Memorabilia" (stating in connection with its display "No products are sold via the montyroberts.org website itself because its sole purpose is to disseminate information about the horse trainer due to the massive controversy about him and his books"); to direct Internet users (at its "Tour" page) via hyperlink to other websites that (a) advertise and offer for sale a book critical of Monty Roberts ("Horse Whispers and Lies") (at "horsewhispersandlies.com), and (b) advertise the services of other horse trainers (for example, "John Lyons – America’s Most Trusted Horseman", "Buck Brannaman – a Real Horseman", "Pat Parelli Natural Horsemanship") (Complaint, Exhibit H).
The domain name "comboyjustice.com", according to a Network Solutions’ WHOIS database query of March 13, 2000, was registered to J. Bartell, with administrative contact at Bartell, J. (Complaint, Exhibit E).
The domain name "horsewhipsersandlies.com", according to a Network Solutions’ WHOIS database query of March 13, 2000, is registered to J. Bartell, with administrative contact at Bartell, J. (Complaint, Exhibit G). According to Complainant’s printout of March 13, 2000, this registration record was created on February 22, 1999, and was last updated on February 22, 1999.
"a. By registering and using the montyroberts.org domain, J. Bartell is intentionally using the mark to promote the sales of commercial goods. One of the sections of J. Bartell’s montyroberts.org is entitled ‘MontyRoberts.Org Products,’ on which J. Bartell advertises t-shirts, riding shirts, mouse pads, coffee mugs and hats. … In a transparent attempt to disguise his commercial use, the material is actually sold through cowboyjustice.com, a domain which is also registered to J. Bartell…. While J. Bartell indicates that all profits will be donated to charity, this does not make the use non-commercial….
b. By using the montyroberts.org domain, J. Bartell is intentionally attempting to attract, for financial gain, Internet users to the Web site for the book ‘Horse Whispers & Lies.’ J. Bartell has registered the domain name horsewhispersandlies.com, on which he advertises a book entitled ‘Horse Whispers and Lies’ (Western International, 1999) for sale….
This can be seen from the ‘Tour’ Web page located at montyroberts.org, which directs traffic to ‘citizensforjustice.org,’ a domain name hosted by J. Bartell’s cybersoup.com name server. … In addition, at least one link on each page directs traffic to the citizensforjustice.org domain (the top center graphic). Specifically, J. Bartell directs traffic to www.citizensforjustice.org/monty/. …While J. Bartell makes efforts to convince the unobservant that Citizens for Justice is an independent organization, J. Bartell’s Cybersoup.com and citizensforjustice.org are closely linked: the contacts listed for citizensforjustice.com have cybersoup.com e-mail addresses, the site uses cybersoup.com domain name servers and its IP address is 209.239.48.197 -- 209.239.48.196 is my.cybersoup.com.
The second step is accomplished through the advertisements on ‘citizensforjustice.org,’ all of which are for commercial sites hosted by J. Bartell’s cybersoup.com name server, many of which are registered to J. Bartell. The advertisements are served from J. Bartell’s ads.cybersoup.com server….
g. J. Bartell’s use of the domain name montyroberts.org causes dilution of the distinctive quality of the famous mark. First, J. Bartell’s registration and use of the montyroberts.org domain name lessens the capacity of Monty & Pat Roberts, Inc. to identify and distinguish its goods and services by means of the Internet. Monty & Pat Roberts, Inc. is not currently free to use its mark as its domain name in the .org generic top-level domain. See Intermatic Inc. v. Toeppen, 947 F. Supp. 1227, 1240 (N.D. Ill. 1996) … Second, J. Bartell’s conduct dilutes the Monty Roberts mark by using the Monty Roberts name throughout his montyroberts.org web page. If J. Bartell were allowed to continue to use montyroberts.org, Monty Roberts’ name and reputation would be at J. Bartell’s mercy and could be associated with an unimaginable amount of messages on J. Bartell’s web pages. See id (Toeppen’s use of intermatic.com, even though non-commercial, diluted the Intermatic mark).
i. J. Bartell registered the domain as part of a bad faith vendetta against Monty Roberts. J. Bartell had been quoted as saying of Monty Roberts: ‘I am going to be on his back for the rest of his life.’ Nicholas Hellen, ‘Horse Whisperer was "taking us for a ride",’ Sunday Times of London, February 13, 2000…In addition, J. Bartell includes the following message on his montyroberts.org Web site: J. Bartell and Ginger Marin ‘want Monty Roberts to know that he’s going to have to keep looking over his shoulder for people who are on to him.’… The unrelated disputes between J. Bartell and Monty Roberts arose a few months prior to the registration of the domain.
Respondent indicates that Monty Roberts’ reputation as a horse trainer is disputed, and that a number of news stories written about him have been negative (id., para. 7(d)).
c. Monty Roberts does not have a famous mark. The name Monty Roberts is known only to a small segment of the public – that of horse-riders or horse trainers and then, only to a small population within that segment. Certainly, many people have not heard of him at all. The trademark was only established a year ago. There is no ‘powerful consumer association’ with his name. To meet the ‘famousness’ element of protection under the dilution statutes, ‘a mark must be truly prominent and renowned.’ (I.P. Lund Trading ApS v. Kohler Co., 163 F.3d 27, 46 (1st Cir.1998).
d. The Federal Trademark Dilution Act lists 8 considerations for the determination of ‘famousness’. Monty Roberts’ mark fails to meet the criteria. 1. Monty Roberts has not established fame beyond distinction. 2. The names Monty and Roberts are used both on and off the Internet by other trademarked companies/individuals, and if doing a search in Yahoo! for one or the other, the full name of Monty Roberts does not even come up; 3. J. Bartell is not in overlapping or competing channels of trade; 4. Duration and extent of the use of the trademark has not been sufficiently extensive in scope or time to award it any special protections.
d. The website horsewhispersandlies.com that is cited in the complaint is not owned by J. Bartell – it is a website that sells a book about Monty Roberts and J. Bartell does not receive any profits from the sale of that book. To link the two is ludicrous and implies that a computer server hosting any commercial organization, such as a website for General Motors, for example, must somehow be profiting from it.
b. Complainant already owned his own website address at montyroberts.com and domain name ownership by Respondent in no way hampered Complainant’s activity on his own website or in subsequently trademarking his name.
c. Complainant and Respondent are not competitors in trade and the registration/usage of the domain name in question was not made to disrupt Complainant’s business.
d. There is no commercial use of the domain name in question, thus there can be no possible confusion with Complainant’s own website which sells a variety of goods.
Regarding the lawsuit, Respondent states: "The Lawsuit filed by J. Bartell against Monty Roberts was dropped and has no bearing on this procedure whatsoever." (Id., para. 15(a)). It adds: "The ownership of the website montyroberts.org (or montyroberts.net) was never an issue with regard to that lawsuit or used in trying to pressure Monty Roberts to settle for money…." (Id., para. 15(b)).
Respondent indicates that Complainant’s contentions regarding hyperlinked websites are an attempt at censorship (id., para. 17).
Respondent’s website publication efforts appear to be directed at Complainant because of Respondent’s belief that Complainant’s fame is not justified.
In Avery Dennison, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied protection under the federal antidilution statute for alleged famous surnames when used in a domain name 16. A principal element in the court’s determination in that case was that the defendant used the disputed names in a channel of trade different than the plaintiff’s 17. In the instant case, by way of contrast, the use by Respondent of the "Monty Roberts" name is directed precisely at the market for Complainant’s services – consumers of horse training and related services.
Respondent has registered the domain name "montyroberts.org". This name is identical to Complainant’s service mark "Monty Roberts", except that (1) the domain name eliminates the space between the two words constituting the mark, (2) the domain name adds the generic top-level domain name ".org", and (3) the domain name employs lower case letters, while the mark is generally used with an initial capital letters.
For purposes of this proceeding, it is unnecessary to decide whether, in light of these factors, Respondent’s domain name is "identical" to Complainant’s service mark, since Respondent’s domain name "montyroberts.org" is without doubt confusingly similar to Complainant’s service mark "Monty Roberts".
Respondent’s claim to use of Complainant’s mark for legitimate news dissemination purposes is a serious one, since the Panel is greatly concerned to assure that rights of the public to freely communicate their views on the Internet are protected and preserved. However, in balancing the rights of Complainant in its mark, and the rights of Respondent to freely express its views about Complainant’s services, the Panel concludes that Respondent has impermissibly taken advantage of Complainant’s commercial interests in the mark.
Respondent has the right to express its views concerning Complainant on the Internet (within the boundaries of laws relating to libel and similar causes of action). In the instant proceeding, the Panel makes no findings as to the truth or falsity of the allegations of Respondent in so far as they relate to the quality or characteristics of Complainant’s services.
However, the right to express one’s views is not the same as the right to use another’s name to identify one’s self as the source of those views. One may be perfectly free to express his or her views about the quality or characteristics of the reporting of the New York Times or Time Magazine. That does not, however, translate into a right to identify one’s self as the New York Times or Time Magazine.
In the instant case, Respondent is using as its identifier the domain name "montyroberts.org". When an Internet user searches for Complainant’s mark, it will find Respondent’s website address 22. There is nothing in the domain name to indicate that the site is devoted to criticism of Complainant, even though this criticism is apparent upon visiting Respondent’s site. By using Complainant’s mark, Respondent diverts Internet traffic to its own site, thereby potentially depriving Complainant of visits by Internet users.
The fact that Respondent’s primary motive for establishing its site may be to criticize Complainant does not insulate Respondent from the fact that it is directly and indirectly offering products for sale on its website, or at websites hyperlinked to its site.
Several federal court decisions have held in similar circumstances that use of a registered trademark in a domain name to attract Internet users to sites with competing or critical views to those of the trademark holder are not protected by rights of fair use because the competing trademark user is impermissibly taking advantage of the right holder’s interest in its mark 23. In each case, the court makes clear that the competing user is free to express its views in a forum established without exploitation of the mark holder’s rights 24.
In Bally Total Fitness the court found that a mark holders right’s were not infringed by defendant’s use of its mark on its website in a derogatory manner 25. The court found that defendant’s rights to express its views concerning the mark holder’s services were not outweighed by the right holder’s interests in its mark. The critical distinction in Bally is that the defendant was not using the right holder’s mark as its domain name, and was therefore not attempting to attract Internet users directly through the use of the mark holder’s name.
In the instant case, the Panel does not dispute Respondent’s right to establish and maintain a website critical of Complainant (without prejudice to any claims Complainant may have regarding the truthfulness and intent of such criticism). However, the Panel does not consider that this gives Respondent the right to identify itself as Complainant. Respondent is using Complainant’s famous mark to attract Internet users to its own website. Upon reaching Complainant’s audience, Respondent then directs users to a site where a book may be purchased, a site where t-shirts and other items may be purchased, and to sites of persons who compete in the same channels of trade as Complainant (that is, other noted horse trainers).
The Panel concludes that Respondent has not established a legitimate non-commercial or fair use of Complainant’s mark. Consequently, Complainant has established the second element necessary to succeed on a claim of abusive domain name registration.
The Policy indicates that certain circumstances may, "in particular but without limitation", be evidence of bad faith (Policy, para. 4(b)). These include that a respondent has "by using the domain name, … intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to [its] web site or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of [respondent’s] web site or location of a product or service on [its] web site or location" (id., para. 4(b)(iv)).
In the instant case, Respondent is using the domain name "montyroberts.org" to attract Internet users to its website by creating a likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s mark. It is doing so for direct or indirect commercial gain. Whether or not such gains are ultimately used for charitable purposes does not alter this conclusion 26. Upon examination of Respondent’s "montyroberts.org", Internet users would become aware that the website is not sponsored by Complainant. However, commercial benefit may well accrue to Respondent if the products it offers for sale (directly and indirectly) are purchased by those visiting its website, and commercial harm may well be suffered by Complainant if Internet users abandon their efforts to reach its website. Respondent will have achieved commercial gain by creating confusion regarding the website location of Complainant and its services – diverting Internet users to its own website as a source of products and services.
The Panel denies Respondent’s request for a finding of reverse domain name hijacking on the part of Complainant.
2. Respondent mistakenly assumes that Complainant’s trademark is registered by virtue of its trademark application. The panel rejects this assumption.
5. An application creates a presumption of use contingent on subsequent registration. 15 USCS § 1057(c).
6. See 15 USCS §1104 regarding registration condition for infringement action. See, e.g., Century 21 Real Estate v. Billy Sandlin, 846 F.2d 1175 (9th Cir. 1988), and Films of Distinction v. Allegro Film, 12 F. Supp. 2d 1068C.D. Cal 1998), regarding state common law trademark claims.
9. 15 USCS § 1125.
10. 15 USCS § 1125(d).
11. U.S. cyberpiracy prevention legislation protects distinctive and famous marks. In order to be famous, a mark must be distinctive. 15 USCS § 1125(c).
(H) whether the mark was registered under the Act of March 3, 1881, or the Act of February 20, 1905, or on the principal register." 15 USCS § 1125(c).
15. 15 USCS § 1125(c)(1)(F).
"In the instant case, … Appellants' sought-after customer base is Internet users who desire vanity e-mail addresses, and Avery Dennison's customer base includes purchasers of office products and industrial fasteners. No evidence demonstrates that Avery Dennison possesses any degree of recognition among Internet users or that Appellants direct their e-mail services at Avery Dennison's customer base." (189 F.3d 878).
19. In Avery Dennison, the Court said: "…fame in a localized trading area may meet the threshold element under the Act if plaintiff's trading area includes the trading area of the defendant. … The rule is likewise for specialized market segments: specialized fame can be adequate only if the ‘diluting uses are directed narrowly at the same market segment.’"… Id. at 877-78.

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