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Iwasaki Corporation and Iwasaki Hotels Corporation v. Mitaden Co., Ltd. [2002] GENDND 885 (17 June 2002)


World Intellectual Property Organization

WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION

Iwasaki Corporation and Iwasaki Hotels Corporation v. Mitaden Co., Ltd.

Case No. D2002-0357

1. The Parties

The Complainants are as follows:

- Iwasaki Corporation, 9-5, Yamashita-cho, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima 892-0816, Japan

- Iwasaki Hotels Corporation, 3755, Juni-cho, Ibusuki-shi, Kagoshima 891-0403,Japan.

The Respondent is as follows:

- Mitaden Co., Ltd., 24-15, Hinode-cho, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima 890-0086, Japan.

2. The Domain Names and Registrar

The disputed Domain names are as follows:

- <鹿児島交通.com> (<bq- -3cph6ukqlt3e5jeqdi.com>)

- <いわさきホテルズ.com> (<bq- -gbci6vkn3pdoxoq.com>)

- <いわさきホテルズ.net> (<bq- -gbci6vkn3pdoxoq.net>).

The registrar is Network Solutions, Inc., 505 Huntmar Park Drive, Horndon VA 20170-5142, United States of America ("the Registrar").

3. Procedural History

This is an administrative proceeding pursuant to the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("the Policy") adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN") on August 26, 1999, in accordance with the Rules for the Policy, approved by ICANN on October 24, 1999, ("the Rules") and the WIPO Supplemental Rules for the Policy ("the Supplemental Rules") of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center ("the Center").

The Complaint was received by the Center by email on April 15, 2002 and in hard copy on April 17, 2002. The Center acknowledged receipt of Complaint on April 18, 2002. On the same day, the Center requested the Complainants for the ACE code to convert the non-English domain names in order for the concerned Registrar to verify these domain names. On April 19, 2002, the Complainants notified the Center of the ACE code of the domain names. The Center sought registration details from the Registrar, on April 19, 2002. The Center received the confirmation from the Registrar that, among others, the Respondent is the current registrant on April 25, 2002. After the communications between the Center and the Complainants with regard to the transmission of a copy of Complaint with a cover sheet to the Respondent and the Registrar, the Complainants sent them to the Respondent and the Registrar by-email in accordance with the Rules, Paragraph 3(b)(xii) and the Supplemental Rules, Paragraph 4(b).

On April 30, 2002, the Center satisfied itself that the Complainants had complied with all formal requirements of the Rules, including payment of the prescribed fee, and notified the Respondent by post/courier, facsimile and email of the Complaint and of the commencement of this administrative proceeding. The formal date of the commencement of the proceeding was accordingly April 30, 2002. The last day specified in the notice for a response was May 20, 2002.

The communications by any means failed to reach the Respondent. On May 21, 2002, no response having been filed, the Center notified the Respondent of its default.

On June 3, 2002, the Center notified the parties of the appointment of Masato Dogauchi as the Administrative Panel, after receiving the Statement of Acceptance and Declaration of Impartiality and Independence from Masato Dogauchi. The Center notified that the Panel was required, absent exceptional circumstances, to forward its decision to the Center by June 17, 2002.

The language of the proceeding is English.

The Panel is satisfied that the Complaint was filed in accordance with the requirements of the Rules and Supplemental Rules; payment was properly made; the Panel agrees with the Center of assessment concerning the Complaints of compliance with the formal requirements of the Rules; the Complaint was properly notified to the Respondent in accordance with Paragraph 2(a) of the Rules; no Response was filed within the time specified by the Rules and the single-member Administrative Panel was properly constituted.

4. Factual Background

Since the Respondent failed to furnish its response, the Panel proceeds to consider the following facts submitted by the Complainants:

Both of the Complainants are companies incorporated under Japanese law with their principal place of business in Kagoshima, Japan. One of them, Iwasaki Corporation, is doing its business in passenger traffic and transportation industry, and its ranking in that industry was the first place in Kagoshima prefecture in 2001. The other one, Iwasaki Hotels Corporation, is doing its business in hotel industry, and its ranking in that industry was also the first place in Kagoshima prefecture in 2001. They are members of the same business group, Iwasaki Group. This is the reason why they jointly filed the Complaint against the Respondent.

On April 1, 2001, several companies within Iwasaki Group merged into one. Kagoshima Kotsu Kabushikikaisha, one of the merging companies, was selected as a surviving corporation at that time and its name was changed to Iwasaki Corporation. Iwasaki Corporation is still using the name of "Kagoshima Kotsu " as its trademark or service mark in passenger traffic and transportation business. "Kagoshima" is the name of the principal place of business of Iwasaki Corporation and "Kotsu" means "traffic" in Japanese. The name of "Kagoshima Kotsu "can be found in southern part of Kyushu Island where Kagoshima prefecture is situated.

On the other hand, Iwasaki Hotels Corporation uses "いわさきホテルズ (Iwasaki Hotels)", as its corporate name which is registered in Jap an. This name is used in hotel business in Kyushu Island and is known by people in even other countries through Iwasaki Hotels Corporation ofs campaign in golf tournament and so on.

According to the information registered at the WHOIS database of the Registrar, the disputed domain names <鹿児島交通.com>, <いわさきホテルズ.com> and <いわさきホ テルズ.net> were registered by the Respondent. There is no evidence that shows the activity of the Respondent using these domain names.

5. Parties of Contentions

A. Complainants

The Complainants assert in essence as follows:

(1) The disputed domain names are identical or confusingly similar to the trademark and the company name, respectively, in which the Complainants have rights under Japanese law;

(2) The Respondent should be considered as having no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the dispute domain names;

(3) The disputed domain names were registered in bad faith.

With regard to the item (1) above, the Complainants introduce copies of their corporate registration which show their present corporate names. The corporate registration of Kagoshima Kotsu Kabushikikaisha also show its previous corporate name before the merger on April 1, 2001, that is "Kagoshima Kotsu (鹿児島交通) Kabushikikaisha". The Complainants introduce copies of their corporate profile and information made by third parties as well as their own brochures using their corporate names and the trademark of "Kagoshima Kotsu (鹿児島交通)".

With regard to the items (2) and (3) above, the Complainants assert the following facts showing the Respondent ofs bad faith in its registration without any legitimate interests:

- The Respondent ofs business areas are not related to "Kotsu (交通)" nor to "Hotels (ホテルズ)", since the Respondent is a corporation whose business are electric work, works of fire facility, sale of hot water equipment and sale of air-conditioning equipment;

- The Respondent has never used or made any demonstrable preparation to use the disputed domain names;

- The Respondent has acquired, at least, <南日本銀行.com> and <南国交通.com> too. "南日本銀行 (Minami-Nippon Bank)" is a bank with its principal place of business in Kagoshima, and "南国交通 (Nangoku Kotsu)" is a passenger transportation business company with its principal place of business in Kagoshima, too. There is no indication of the Respondent ofs legitimate interests in respect of these domain names.

The Complainants accordingly request a decision that the disputed domain names be transferred to the Complainants.

B. Respondent

There was no response filed.

6. Discussion and Findings

According to Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules, a Panel shall decide a Complaint on the basis of the statements and documents submitted and in accordance with the Policy, the Rules and any rules and principles of law that it deems applicable. Since the Respondent has not made any submission, the following decision is rendered on a basis of the submission from the Complainants.

In accordance with Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy, for the Complaint to be granted, the Complainants must prove each of the following:

- The disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainants have rights; and

- The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and

- The disputed domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

These requirements will be verified respectively.

Identical and Confusing Similarity

"Kagoshima Kotsu (鹿児島交通)" was the essential part of the previous corporate name of Kagoshima Kotsu Kabushikikaisha, one of the Complainants, before the merger on April 1, 2001, and such name is still used, at least, as the service mark in passenger traffic and transportation business of Iwasaki Corporation, one of the Complainants. Incidentally, although the Complainants assert that the name of "Kagoshima Kotsu (鹿児島交通)" is used as the trademark in such business, there is no evidence showing that the name is registered as the trademark in Japan. However, it is established by such evidences as brochures and other documents submitted by the Complainants that the name is used, at least, as the service mark by Iwasaki Corporation and such mark is well known to the consumers in, at least, Kagoshima area. Based upon such facts, Iwasaki Corporation has right in such service mark protected under Japanese law (Article 2(1)(i) of "Husei Kyoso Boshi Ho" (Unfair Competition Law), 1993 Law No.47).

On the other hand, "Iwasaki Hotels (いわさきホテルズ)" is the essential part of the corporate name of Iwasaki Hotels Corporation, the other one of the Complainants. It is clear from the record that the disputed domain names include identical terms, "鹿児島交通" and "いわさきホテルズ", with the essential part of the Complainants of trade name and with company name used legitimately in Japan. Absent the rebuttal from the Respondent, there is no reason to deny the finding that the first requirement is satisfied.

Legitimate Interests

According to the complaint, the Complainants could not find where and how the Respondent is using or is preparing to use the disputed domain names. As the Respondent has not argued any rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain names, it is inevitable to conclude that the second requirement is also satisfied.

Bad Faith

In accordance with the Paragraph 4(b)(ii), where it is found that the Respondent have engaged in a pattern of such conduct as having registered the domain names in order to prevent the owners of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain names, such circumstances can be evidence of the registration and use of the disputed domains name in bad faith. In this case, the Complainants pointed out the fact that the Respondent has acquired such other unrelated domain names representing famous names of others as <南日本銀行.com> and <南国交通.com>. In consideration of the fact that the Respondent has not argued to the contrary, the third requirement is also satisfied.

Accordingly, all three cumulative requirements as provided for in Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy are determined to be satisfied.

7. Decision

In accordance with Paragraphs 4(b)(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, the Panel decides that the disputed domain name <鹿児島交通.com> (bq- -3cph6ukqlt3e5jeqdi.com) shall be transferred from the Respondent (Mitaden Co., Ltd.) to one of the Complainants (Iwasaki Corporation); and that the disputed domain names <いわさきホテルズ.com> (bq- -gbci6vkn3pdoxoq.com) and <いわさきホテルズ.net> (bq- -gbci6vkn3pdoxoq.net) shall be transferred from the Respondent (Mitaden Co., Ltd.) to the other one of the Complainants (Iwasaki Hotels Corporation).


Masato Dogauchi
Sole Panelist

Dated: June 17, 2002


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