Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2007/d2007-0878.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 23:46:24+00:00

Document:
The Respondent is Jena York, Swiss Colony, Wisconsin, United States of America.
The disputed domain name <maesambien.info> is registered with eNom.
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on June 14, 2007. On June 15, 2007, the Center transmitted by email to eNom a request for registrar verification in connection with the domain name at issue. On June 18, 2007, eNom transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that the Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details. 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 June 25, 2007. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was July 15, 2007. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on July 17, 2007.
The Center appointed Eduardo Machado as the sole panelist in this matter on July 26, 2007. 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 group benefits from a large portfolio of high-growth drugs, with 8 blockbusters pharmaceuticals in 2005: Lovenox, Plavix, Taxotere, Eloxatin, Ambien, Allegra, Lantus and Tritace. It enjoys firmly established positions in 7 key fast-growth therapeutic fields: cardiovascular, thrombosis, metabolism, oncology, central nervous system, internal medicine and human vaccines.
Employing approximately 97,181 people worldwide, Sanofi-Aventis has a sales force of 35 030 persons, as well as more than 17,600 research staff with 127 projects under development, 56 of which are at advanced stages and 71 in pre-clinical development.
Sanofi-Aventis is a major player on the pharmaceutical market in the United States. With 8 flagship products, the Group consolidated its excellent positioning in major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, thrombosis, cancer, diabetes, central nervous system, internal medicine, metabolic disorders and vaccines.
The Complainant owns a large number of AMBIEN trademarks in more than 50 countries including the United States of America and the European Union.
The Complainant contends that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to its AMBIEN trademark. It maintains that the addition of the meaningless word “maes” and the gTLD “.info” does not change the overall impression of the designation as being connected to the Complainant, and is designed to cause persons accessing the domain name to mistakenly believe that the disputed domain name has a connection with the Complainant.
The Panel finds that <maesambien.info> is confusingly similar to the AMBIEN marks since the dominant portion of the disputed domain name is “ambien”. The domain name differs from Complainant’s registered AMBIEN marks only in that it contains the generic word “maes”.
The Panel finds that adding generic words to a domain name such as “maes” is not sufficient to escape the finding of similarity. In this case the word “maes” does not serve any distinguishing function. Of relevance are the following domain names, which were all held by previous panels to be confusingly similar to the AMBIEN trademark of the Complainant: Sanofi-Aventis v. Helois Lab , WIPO Case No. D2005-0607, <ambienadvisor.com>; Sanofi-Aventis v. Juntech, Inc ,WIPO Case No. D2005-0606, <online-ambien.biz>; Sanofi-Aventis v. Gabe Smith, , WIPO case No. D2005-0605, <buy-ambien-online.net> Sanofi-Aventis v. Conciergebrain.com, WIPO Case No. D2005-0660, <ambien-free-shipping.com>,<ambien-overnight.info>, <ambien-overnight.org>, <ambien-pharmacie.net>, <ambien-prescription.org>, <ambien-usa.net>, <ambien-5mg.org>, <cheap-ambien.net>, <cheap-ambien-no-shipping-charge.com>, <cheap-ambien-sleeping-pill.com>, <cheapest-ambien.org>, <lowest-price-ambien.com> and <order-ambien-cheap.com>.
With respect to paragraph 4(c)(iii) of the Policy, Respondent has not made and is not making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name and has not used the domain name, or a name corresponding to it, in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services. At the time the Complaint was filed, the domain name provided, in part, links to websites that were in direct competition with Complainant.
Moreover, the domain name as of the date of this decision still resolves to a page that displays links to Complainant’s competitors. This is not a bona fide use. TM Acquisition Corp. v. Sign Guards, NAF132439 (National Arbitration Forum, December 31, 2002) (finding that the Respondent’s use of complainant’s marks to divert Internet users to a website which displayed a series of links, some of which were links to sites of complainant’s competitors, was not a bona fide offering of goods or services).
Under paragraph 4(b), a respondent has used and registered a domain name in bad faith if, inter alia, the respondent has used the domain name intentionally to attempt to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to the respondent’s website or other online location by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the respondent’s site or of a product or service offered on the respondent’s site. Policy paragraph 4(b)(iv). The Panel finds that Respondent registered and used the domain name in bad faith.
Complainant’s allegations of bad faith are not contested. The trademark registrations of record confirm Complainant’s allegations that it had long been using its AMBIEN marks when the domain name that is the subject of this Complaint was registered. The Panel finds persuasive Complainant’s allegation that the Respondent must have been aware of the Complainant’s rights in the mark and, further that Respondent knowingly infringed the Complainant’s trademark when it registered the subject domain name.
Under the Policy, it is evidence of bad faith that, “by using the domain name, you have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your website 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 your website or location or of a product or service on your website or location”, Policy paragraph 4(b)(iv). Respondent used Complainant’s known trademark in pharmaceutical industry to attract users to Respondents’ website where they are offered links to Complainant’s competitors. This is evidence of the intention by Respondent to attract Internet users for commercial gain, by creating a likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of Respondent’s website or of a product or service on Respondent’s website.
At the time the Complaint was filed and at the time of this Decision, the domain name resolves to a page that offers visitors links to sites of other companies, including Complainant’s competitors. Staples, Inc., Staples The Office Superstore, Inc., Staples Contract and & Commercial, Inc. v. John Morgan, WIPO Case No. D2004-0537 (“the Panel is persuaded that Respondent’s registration and use of the disputed domain name for re-directing Internet users, particularly customers and potential customers of Complainants, from Complainants’ website to the website of OfficeMax, a company which directly competes with Complainants, constitutes bad faith and use. Prior WIPO UDRP decisions also support this conclusion.”). See also Edmunds.com, Inc. v. Ult. Search, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2001-1319 (“registration and use of a domain name to redirect Internet users to websites of competing organizations constitutes bad faith registration and use under the Policy”).
Accordingly the Panel finds that the Complainant has established the third element of the Policy.
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, <maesambien.info> be transferred to the Complainant.

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