[Indexed as:
Neon v. Begg]
[Indexed as:
Cybergauge.com]
National Arbitration
Forum
Administrative
Panel Decision
FILE NO.: FA0002000093559
Commenced:
4 February 2000
Judgment:
13 March 2000
Presiding Panelist: Honorable James A. Carmody
Domain name - Domain name dispute resolution policy - U.S. Trademark - Bad faith registration Legally protectable rights Domain Use Legitimate Interests.
The Complainant is the owner of the trademark "CYBERGAUGE" that was registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The Complainant has been selling goods domestically, internationally and over the Internet under the name "CyberGauge". The Respondent registered the domain name cybergauge.com.
Held, Name Transferred to Complainant.
The Complainant has valuable and legally protectable rights in the mark: "CYBERGAUGE," dating back four years or more.
The Respondent has not used and has no legally protectable rights in the mark "CYBERGAUGE" and has refused to relinquish or transfer the domain, cybergauge.com, to Complainant except for an exorbitant premium. This was found to be ample evidence of bad faith on the part of Respondent to entitle Complainant to relief as sought.
Policies referred to
ICANN's Rules
for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
Uniform
Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
Registration Agreements referred to
Network Solutions Service Agreement Version 5.0
Panel Decision
referred to
--
Hon. Carmody (ret.), Panelist: -
The above-entitled
matter came on for an administrative
hearing on
March 13, 2000 before the undersigned arbitrator
on the Complaint
of Michael J. Swan, representative of Neon
Software,
Inc. ("Neon" or "Complainant"), against Daniel Begg
("Begg" or
"Respondent") who did not submit a response or
otherwise
appear personally or through counsel. Upon the
written submitted
record including only the Complaint, the
following
DECISION is rendered:
PROCEDURAL FINDINGS
Domain Name: cybergauge.com
Domain Name Registrar: Network Solutions
Domain Name Registrant: Daniel Begg
Date of Domain Name Registration: January 12, 2000
Date Complaint Filed: February 3, 2000
Date of Commencement
of the Administrative Proceeding in
Accordance
with Rule 2(a) and
Rule 4(c)[1]: February 4, 2000.
Due Date for
Response: February 28, 2000. No Response
filed.
After reviewing
the Complaint, and determining it to be in
administrative
compliance, the National Arbitration Forum
("Forum")
forwarded the Complaint to the Respondent, on
February 4,
2000 in compliance with Rule 2(a) and the
administrative
proceeding was commenced pursuant to Rule
4(c). In compliance
with Rule 4(d), the Forum immediately
notified Network Solutions that the administrative proceeding
had commenced.
The Complaint was then docketed and
forwarded
to the undersigned arbitrator for decision.
Respondent
did not submit a response to the Forum within
twenty (20)
days pursuant to Rule 5(a).
FINDINGS OF FACT
1. On February
8, 2000, Network Solutions confirmed that
Respondent
registered the domain name "cybergauge.com"
under the
registrant name Daniel Begg, 1404 Windsor Drive,
Brockville,
ON, K6V 5X4 Canada, showing Begg, Daniel,
[email protected],
613 342 1942, as Administrative
Contact. Network Solutions acknowledged the commencement
of this administrative
proceeding and that Respondent is bound
by the Network Solutions Service Agreement Version 5.0.
Accordingly,
Respondent agreed to resolve any dispute
regarding
its domain name registration pursuant to ICANN's
Rules for
Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
and the Uniform
Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.
Neither the
Complainant nor Respondent contest the
jurisdiction
of the Forum or the undersigned arbitrator to
resolve this
controversy.
2. By virtue
of the fact that there is no appearance of any kind
by Respondent,
all reasonable inferences of fact in the
allegations
of the Complaint will be taken to be true.
3. Complainant
is the owner of a trademark registered with the
United States
Patent and Trademark Office under Reg. No.
2,073,649
on June 24, 1997, the mark being
"CYBERGAUGE."
4. Complainant
has been selling goods domestically,
internationally
and over the Internet under the name
"CyberGauge"
since March 31, 1996.
5. Email correspondence
between Complainant and
Respondent
strongly suggests that Respondent has not "had a
chance to
anything" with the cybergauge.com domain as of a
few days after
acquiring it in January of 2000 and that he is
seeking to
obtain $700.00 (US) from Complainant to relinquish
the domain
name. The acquisition price of the domain name
paid by Respondent
was $70.00 (US).
CONCLUSION
The undersigned
certifies that he has acted independently and
has no known
conflict of interest to serve as the Arbitrator in
this proceeding.
Having been duly selected, and being
impartial,
the undersigned makes the following findings and
conclusions:
1. Complainant
has valuable and legally protectable rights in
the mark:
"CYBERGAUGE," dating back four years or more.
2. Respondent
has not used and has no legally protectable
rights in
the mark "CYBERGAUGE" and has refused to
relinquish
or transfer the domain, cybergauge.com, to
Complainant
except for an exorbitant premium. I find this to be
ample evidence
of bad faith on the part of Respondent to entitle
Complainant
to relief as sought.
DECISION
Based upon
the above findings and conclusions, and pursuant
to Rule 4(i)
of the ICANN's Rules for Uniform Domain Name
Dispute Resolution
Policy and the National Arbitration
Forum's Supplemental
Rules to ICANN's Uniform Domain
Resolution
Policy, it is decided as follows:
THE UNDERSIGNED
DIRECTS THAT THE DOMAIN
NAME "CYBERGAUGE.COM,"
REGISTERED BY
RESPONDENT
DANIEL BEGG, BE TRANSFERRED TO
COMPLAINANT
NEON SOFTWARE, INC.
Signed this
13th day of March, 2000 by Judge James A.
Carmody (Retired),
arbitrator.
Honorable James
A. Carmody
Domain Name Transferred