Source: https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2004/d2004-0581.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 09:57:17+00:00

Document:
Complainant is Pfizer Inc., New York, New York of United States of America, represented by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, United States of America.
Respondent is David Lavery, Barrie, Ontario, of Canada.
The disputed domain name <1viagra.com> (the “Domain Name”) is registered with eNom, Inc.
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the�“Center”) on August 2, 2004. On August 3, 2004, the Center transmitted by email to eNom, Inc a request for registrar verification in connection with the Domain Name. On August 5, 2004, eNom transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details for the administrative, billing, and technical contact. Complainant filed an amendment to the Complaint on August 5, 2004. The Center verified that the Complaint together with the amendment to 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”).
Complainant has provided evidence of trademark registrations for the word “VIAGRA” in the United States (Registration No. 2,162,584 dated June 2, 1998 -see Annex 3) and in many other countries, including Canada (see Annex 4), owned by Complainant or by its wholly owned subsidiaries.
Respondent registered the Domain Name on May 2, 2003 (Annex 1).
As shown by the print out of relevant pages of the web site to which the Domain Name resolves (Annex 6), Respondent advertises and sells, along with information about Complainant’s “VIAGRA” medication, less expensive products used for erectile dysfunction treatments containing the same active ingredient found in Pfizer’s Viagra medication (sildenafil citrate):”Generic Viagra”, “Generic Cialis”, “Veega”, “Caverta”, “Generic Levitra”. Respondent compares “Generic Viagra” to Pfizer’s Viagra medication emphasizing that the only difference “lies in the packaging and, most importantly, the price”, saving up to 50%.
Moreover, Respondent provides a link to an online pharmacy at, “www.generix4u.com” (“Online Drugstore for Generic prescription drugs”), that offers on its web site (Annex 7) not only generic versions of drugs, but also the possibility to join its affiliate program that offers commissions up to 30% on product sales.
- Respondent currently provides a direct link to supplier’s online pharmacy that sells sildenafil citrate products at, “www.generix4u.com”. According to the “Affiliates” page of the “www.generix4u.com” web site, web site owners who direct consumers to “www.generix4u.com” earn up to 30% commission; it therefore follows that Respondent is using the Domain Name for the purpose of directing consumers to the “www.generix4u.com” web site in order to earn such commissions and to disrupt Complainant’s business.
In the Panel’s view it is beyond dispute that Complainant has trademark rights in the “VIAGRA” name which is an invented word with a high degree of inherent distinctiveness and is well known in respect of a drug addressing erectile dysfunction (Pfizer Inc. v. The Magic Islands, WIPO Case No. D2003-0870; Pfizer Inc. v. Martin Marketing, WIPO Case No. D2003-0793; Pfizer Inc. v. Jason Haft, WIPO Case No. D2003-0133; Pfizer Inc. v. myviagra, WIPO Case No. D2002-0463; Pfizer Inc. v. Order Viagra Online, WIPO Case No. D2002-0366).
The Domain Name entirely incorporates Complainant’s trademark “VIAGRA” with the addition of the number “1”.
It is an established principle that the mere addition of a common term or number does not create a different trademark in which Respondent has rights and cannot be considered sufficient to avoid confusion between the Domain Name and Complainant’s trademark (GA Modefine SA v. Riccardo Bin Kara-Mat, WIPO Case No. D2002-0195; Parfums Christian Dior v. 1 Netpower, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2000-0022; Nintendo of America, Inc. v. Gray West International, WIPO Case No. D2000-1219; Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba d/b/a Toshiba Corporation v. Distribution Purchasing & Logistics Corp, WIPO Case No. D2000-0464;).
Complainant has provided evidence of its rights in the trademark for the term “VIAGRA” and that the Domain Name was registered by Respondent on or about May� 2, 2003. Based on Complainant’s submissions, the Panel considers that at that time Complainant had acquired a considerable reputation throughout the world for the “VIAGRA” mark in respect of a drug addressing erectile dysfunction.
Complainant also contends that Respondent is not and never has been a representative of Complainant or licensed to use the VIAGRA trademark and that he is not commonly known by the Domain Name.
Complainant further contends that Respondent’s use of the Domain Name to advertise and sell an alleged generic version of VIAGRA does not constitute a use in connection with a bona fide offering of goods and services. Respondent’s web site provides links to an online pharmacy at, “www.generix4u.com” (Online Drugstore for Generic prescription drugs) that offers on its web site (Annex 7) both generic versions of drugs and the possibility to join its affiliate program that offers commissions up to 30% on product sales. In line with previous WIPO decisions (Chanel Inc. v.Cologne Zone, WIPO Case No. D2000-1809; National Collegiate Athletic Association and March Madness Athletic Association, L.L.C. v. Mark Halpern and Front & Center Entertainment, WIPO Case No. D2000-0700; Pfizer Inc. v. The Magic Islands, WIPO Case No. D2003-0870; Nikon, Inc. and Nikon Corporation v. Technilab, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2000-1774) the Panel considers that no good faith can be assumed in Respondent’s conduct, in view of the fact that the Domain Name is confusingly similar with Complainant’s trademark and is used in connection with the promotion and sale of competing products.
Because Respondent has failed to submit an answer to the Complaint, and given that the allegations of the Complaint prima facie do not raise substantial doubts, the Sole Panelist accepts as true all allegations set forth in the Complaint and holds that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Domain Name.
Furthermore, the printout of the relevant pages of Respondent’s web site “www.1viagra.com” (Annex 6) shows that Respondent has been using the Domain Name (i) to promote and sell sildenafil citrate pharmaceutical products for erectile dysfunction treatments, along with information about the genuine VIAGRA-branded sildenafil citrate that originates from Complainant; and (ii) to provide, for commercial gain, a link to his supplier’s online pharmacy that grants its affiliates up to 30% commission on product sales.
In addition, the fact that Respondent’s web site is affiliated with an online pharmacy, which promises up to 30% commission for each sale made with any Internet user captured through the affiliates’ web sites (Annex 7), shows Respondent’s intent, for commercial gain, to re-direct Internet users, especially potential customers of Complainant, from the latter’s web site to an online drugstore, located at “www.generix4u.com”, which directly competes with Complainant. As the Panel found in NetWizards, Inc. v. Spectrum Enterprises, WIPO Case No. D2000-1768, “the registration and use of a domain name to re-direct Internet users to web sites of competing organizations constituted bad faith use and registration” (see also Zwack Unicum Rt. v. Erica J. Duna, WIPO Case No. D2000-0037, E.R. Squibb & Sons LLC. v. Roy Duke, WIPO Case No. D2003-0806).
For all the foregoing reasons, the Panel orders, in accordance with Paragraphs 4(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, that the Domain Name <1viagra.com> be transferred to Complainant.

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