Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0574.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 10:58:42+00:00

Document:
Complainant is Akbank Turk A.S. of Istanbul, Turkey, represented by Istanbul Patent & Trademark Consultancy Ltd., Turkey.
Respondent is Mr. Arda Alpar of Istanbul, Turkey.
The disputed domain name <akbank.info> is registered with DomainName, Inc. d/b/a domainname.com.
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on April 14, 2008. On April 15, 2008, the Center transmitted by email to DomainName, Inc. d/b/a domainname.com a request for registrar verification in connection with the domain name at issue. On April 21, 2008, DomainName, Inc. d/b/a domainname.com transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that 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 Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on May 7, 2008. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was May 27, 2008. Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified Respondent’s default on May 28, 2008.
The Center appointed Nasser A. Khasawneh as the sole panelist in this matter on June 4, 2008. 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.
Complainant Akbank is a top tier bank and offers a wide range of retail and commercial banking products and other financial services in Turkey and abroad. Complainant’s bank was founded in 1947 and is currently headquartered in Istanbul, and has an extensive branch network throughout Turkey. The shares of Akbank are traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange.
Akbank holds a considerable number of trade and service marks registrations in Turkey and in other jurisdictions in addition to International registrations under the Madrid Protocol. The oldest of the Turkish registrations dates back to an application date of 1996.
Respondent first registered the disputed domain name <akbank.info> on February 11, 2006. The disputed domain name <akbank.info> currently resolves to a parking page with sponsored advertising links.1 Some of those links use the Akbank name and apparently promote financial services of third parties.
c. That registering a domain name of a well-known trademark is necessarily in bad faith where there were no legitimate plans for permissible uses.
6. That any use of the disputed domain name by Respondent would necessarily result in infringing the trademark rights of Complainant.
The Panel finds that the disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to Complainant’s registered AKBANK trademarks. The disputed domain name <akbank.info> is identical to Complainant’s trademarks as panels disregard the gTLD suffix in evaluating confusing similarity. E.g., VAT Holding AG v. Vat.com, WIPO Case No. D2000-0607; Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited v. NetIncome Ventures Inc., WIPO Case No. D2006-1315.
The requirements in paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy therefore are fulfilled.
A complainant must show a prima facie case that a respondent lacks rights or legitimate interests. E.g., Croatia Airlines d.d. v. Modern Empire Internet Ltd., WIPO Case No. D2003-0455. The absence of rights or legitimate interests is established if a complainant makes out a prima facie case and the respondent enters no response. Id., (citing De Agostini S.p.A. v. Marco Cialone, WIPO Case No. DTV2002-0005).
Complainant avers that Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name, that as a Turkish citizen, Respondent necessarily knew of Complainant’s marks, intended to trade on their notoriety, and that Respondent was without any license or authorization by Complainant.
Since Respondent did not submit a Reply, the Panel accepts as true Complainant’s specific factual averments that: Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name; that Respondent was and is aware of Complainant’s marks; and that Respondent lacked license or authorization by Complainant to use its marks in the disputed domain name.
The Panel cannot, however, accept Complainant’s averment that Respondent’s website was inactive. As noted above, the disputed domain name currently resolves to a parking page which presents sponsored link advertising.
The Panel therefore finds that Respondent’s use of the disputed domain name demonstrates Respondent’s lack of a legitimate noncommercial interest in, or fair use of, the domain name. E.g., Pfizer Inc. v. jg a/k/a Josh Green, WIPO Case No. D2004-0784.
The Panel also finds there is no bona fide offering of goods or services by Respondent.
Respondent’s commercial activities undertaken through use of the disputed domain name are neither fair use nor bona fide under the Policy. See, e.g., America Online, Inc. v. Xianfeng Fu, WIPO Case No. D2000-1374, cited in Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. v. Onlinetamiflu.com, WIPO Case No. D2007-1806.
Filing no response, Respondent has not invoked any of the circumstances of paragraph 4(c) of the Policy to support the existence of its rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name.
Using a domain name to intentionally attract Internet users, for commercial gain, by creating a likelihood of confusion, may be evidence of bad faith registration and use. Policy, paragraph 4(b)(iv). See, e.g., L�Or�al, Biotherm, Lanc�me Parfums et Beaut� & Cie v. Unasi, Inc, WIPO Case No. D2005-0623. Panels may draw inferences about bad faith registration or use in light of the circumstances, such as whether there is no response to the complaint, concealment of identity, and a lack of conceivable good faith uses for the domain name. Telstra Corporation Limited v. Nuclear Marshmallows, WIPO Case No. D2000-0003.
The Panel finds that Respondent initially registered the disputed domain name in bad faith, which is supported by the fact that Respondent appears to have provided incomplete address information to the registrar. Telstra Corp., supra, cited in Oxygen Media, LLC v. Primary Source, WIPO Case No. D2000-0362.
The Panel infers that Respondent was aware of Complainant’s trademarks at the time of registration of the disputed domain name. The Panel further infers that Respondent, a Turkish resident, registered the disputed domain name intending to trade on the fame of Complainant’s trademark, which was registered and used for many years before the registration of the disputed domain name. The Panel concludes that in so doing, Respondent deliberately attempted to attract Internet users to its website for commercial gain, by creating a likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s mark.
Presently available online screen shots from Respondent’s website show that the disputed domain name is used to promote sales of Complainant’s competitors in the financial services and banking industry. The Panel concludes that this activity demonstrates bad faith use by Respondent. Pfizer Inc. v. jg a/k/a Josh Green, supra (citing Google, Inc v. wwwgoogle.com and Jimmy Siavesh Behain, WIPO Case No. D2000-1240; Casio Keisanki Kabushiki (Casio Computer Co., Ltd.) v. Jongchan Kim, WIPO Case No. D2003-0400; Downstream Technologies, LLC v. Bartels System GmbH, WIPO Case No. D2003-0088).
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 <akbank.info> be transferred to Complainant.
1 The Panel has undertaken limited factual research by visiting Respondent’s website. See WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions section 4.5.

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