DECISION

Inter-Tel, Inc. v. Interactive Teleservices

Claim Number:  FA0404000257379

PARTIES

Complainant is Inter-Tel, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Michelle Whittington, 7300 West Boston Street, Chandler, AZ 85226.  Respondent is Interactive Teleservices  (“Respondent”), 1033 O Street Suite 304, Lincoln, NE 68508.

REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME

The domain name at issue is <intertel.org>, registered with Network Solutions, Inc.

PANEL

The undersigned certifies that she acted independently and impartially and that to the best of her knowledge she has no known conflict in serving as Panelist in this proceeding. Hon. Carolyn Marks Johnson sits as Panelist.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum (the "Forum") electronically April 19, 2004; the Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint April 20, 2004.

On April 21, 2004, Network Solutions, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the domain name <intertel.org> is registered with Network Solutions, Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Network Solutions, Inc. verified that Respondent is bound by the Network Solutions, Inc. registration agreement and has thereby agreed to resolve domain-name disputes brought by third parties in accordance with ICANN's Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy").

On April 27, 2004, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of May 17, 2004, by which Respondent could file a Response to the Complaint, was transmitted to Respondent via e-mail, post and fax, to all entities and persons listed on Respondent's registration as technical, administrative and billing contacts, and to postmaster@intertel.org by e-mail.

Having received no Response from Respondent, using the same contact details and methods as were used for the Commencement Notification, the Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default.

On May 28, 2004, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed Hon. Carolyn Marks Johnson as Panelist.

Having reviewed the communications records, the Administrative Panel (the "Panel") finds that the Forum discharged its responsibility under Paragraph 2(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules") "to employ reasonably available means calculated to achieve actual notice to Respondent."  Therefore, the Panel may issue its decision based on the documents submitted and in accordance with the ICANN Policy, ICANN Rules, the Forum's Supplemental Rules and any rules and principles of law that the Panel deems applicable, without the benefit of any Response from Respondent.

RELIEF SOUGHT

Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.

PARTIES' CONTENTIONS

A.  Complainant makes the following assertions:

1. The domain name registered by Respondent, <intertel.org>, is identical to Complainant’s INTER-TEL mark.

2. Respondent has no rights to or legitimate interests in the <intertel.org> domain name.

3. Respondent registered and used the <intertel.org> domain name in bad faith.

B.  Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding.

FINDINGS

Complainant, Inter-Tel, Inc., is a successful communications company that has been using the mark INTER-TEL since at least as early as 1969 and owns several federal trademark registrations for the mark in association with various goods and services (Reg. No. 998,103, issued November 12, 1974, Reg. No. 1,793,881, issued September 21, 1993, Reg. No. 1,689,967, issued June 2, 1992, Reg. No. 2,345,372, issued April 25, 2000, Reg. No. 2,700,057, issued March 25, 2003, Reg. No. 2,749,733, issued August 12, 2003, Reg. No. 2,749,732, issued August 12, 2003, Serial No. 78/331078, filing date November 2003 (year of first use – 1997)).  Complainant has invested considerably and continuously in the use of its mark for more than 30 years.

Respondent registered the <intertel.org> domain name February 20, 1997.  Respondent is in the telesales and telemarketing business.  Respondent used the disputed domain name in order to carry out its defined mission and corporate vision “to connect organizations and their customers and to provide strategic thinking to solve challenges in a way that cannot be matched by either in-house or alternative providers.”  Respondent concedes that the domain name <intertel.org> was chosen as an abbreviation of “interactive teleservices.”

On or about September 1, 2003, Respondent began using the trade name, Influent, in Nebraska and applied for state registration of the trade name on or about October 28, 2003.  According to the WHOIS database, on April 4, 2004, Respondent registered the domain name <influentinc.com>.  Sometime shortly thereafter, Respondent updated its corporate website to reflect the name to change to Influent and redirect all traffic intended for <Intertel.org> to the new domain <influentinc.com>.

DISCUSSION

Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules instructs this Panel to "decide a complaint on the basis of the statements and documents submitted in accordance with the Policy, these Rules and any rules and principles of law that it deems applicable."

In view of Respondent's failure to submit a Response, the Panel shall decide this administrative proceeding on the basis of Complainant's undisputed representations pursuant to paragraphs 5(e), 14(a) and 15(a) of the Rules and draw such inferences it considers appropriate pursuant to paragraph 14(b) of the Rules.

Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy requires Complainant to prove each of the following three elements to obtain an order that a domain name should be cancelled or transferred:

(1) the domain name registered by Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which Complainant has rights; and

(2) Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and

(3) the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

Identical to and/or Confusingly Similar

Complainant established with extrinsic proof in this proceeding that it has rights to the INTER-TEL mark as evidenced by its registration with United States Patent and Trademark Office and by its continuous use of its mark in commerce for the last thirty-five years.  See Men’s Wearhouse, Inc. v. Wick, FA 117861 (Nat. Arb. Forum Sept. 16, 2002) (“Under U.S. trademark law, registered marks hold a presumption that they are inherently distinctive and have acquired secondary meaning.”); see also Janus Int’l Holding Co. v. Rademacher, D2002-0201 (WIPO Mar. 5, 2002) (finding that Panel decisions have held that registration of a mark is prima facie evidence of validity, which creates a rebuttable presumption that the mark is inherently distinctive.  Respondent has the burden of refuting this assumption).

The domain name registered by Respondent, <intertel.org>, is identical to Complainant’s INTER-TEL mark because the only difference is the omission of a hyphen in the domain name.  The lack of a hyphen does not significantly distinguish the domain name from the mark under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).  See InfoSpace.com v. Tenenbaum Ofer, D2000-0075 (WIPO Apr. 27, 2000) (“The domain name ‘info-space.com’ is identical to Complainant’s INFOSPACE trademark. The addition of a hyphen and .com are not distinguishing features.”); see also Easyjet Airline Co. Ltd. v. Harding, D2000-0398 (WIPO June 22, 2000) (finding it obvious that the domain name <easy-jet.net> was virtually identical to Complainant's EASYJET mark and therefore that they are confusingly similar). 

The Panel finds that Complainant fulfilled Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).

Rights to or Legitimate Interests

Complainant established with extrinsic proof in this proceeding that Complainant has rights in the mark contained in its entirety in the domain name that Respondent registered.  Respondent failed to file a Response.  Therefore, the Panel may accept any reasonable assertions by Complainant as true.  See Desotec N.V. v. Jacobi Carbons AB, D2000-1398 (WIPO Dec. 21, 2000) (finding that failing to respond allows a presumption that Complainant’s allegations are true unless clearly contradicted by the evidence); see also Charles Jourdan Holding AG v. AAIM, D2000-0403 (WIPO June 27, 2000) (finding it appropriate for the Panel to draw adverse inferences from Respondent’s failure to reply to the Complaint).

Respondent is appropriating Complainant’s mark in its entirety to market its own telecommunication services.  The Panel finds that this use of a domain name that is identical to Complainant’s mark is not a bona fide offering of goods or services pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(i) and it is not a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(iii).  See MSNBC Cable, LLC v. Tysys.com, D2000-1204 (WIPO Dec. 8, 2000) (finding no rights or legitimate interests in the famous MSNBC mark where Respondent attempted to profit using Complainant’s mark by redirecting Internet traffic to its own website); see also Am. Online, Inc. v. Tencent Comm. Corp., FA 93668 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 21, 2000) (finding that use of Complainant’s mark “as a portal to suck surfers into a site sponsored by Respondent hardly seems legitimate”).

The record and the WHOIS domain name registration information do not reveal that Respondent is commonly known by the domain name or by Complainant’s mark pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii).  See Tercent Inc. v. Yi, FA 139720 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 10, 2003) (stating “nothing in Respondent’s WHOIS information implies that Respondent is ‘commonly known by’ the disputed domain name” as one factor in determining that Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii) does not apply); see also Gallup Inc. v. Amish Country Store, FA 96209 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 23, 2001) (finding that Respondent does not have rights in a domain name when Respondent is not known by the mark).

The Panel finds that Complainant has fulfilled Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).

Registration and Use in Bad Faith

Respondent is using the disputed domain name to advertise its telecommunications services.  Complainant’s business is related to the telecommunications industry.  The Panel finds that, by creating confusion around Complainant’s mark, Respondent is attempting to disrupt the business of a competitor.  Respondent’s knowing use of Complainant’s mark to sell services similar to Complainant’s line of business is evidence of bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iii).  See S. Exposure v. S. Exposure, Inc., FA 94864 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 18, 2000) (finding Respondent acted in bad faith by attracting Internet users to a website that competes with Complainant’s business); see also SR Motorsports v. Rotary Performance, FA 95859 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 4, 2001) (finding it "obvious" that the domain names were registered for the primary purpose of disrupting the competitor's business when the parties are part of the same, highly specialized field).

Respondent tried to appropriate Complainant’s mark for the purpose of leading Complainant’s customers to Respondent’s advertising for telecommunications services.  The Panel finds that Respondent intentionally and opportunistically created a likelihood of confusion as to Complainant’s sponsorship to attract Internet users for Respondent’s own commercial gain pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).  See G.D. Searle & Co. v. Celebrex Drugstore, FA 123933 (Nat. Arb. Forum Nov. 21, 2002) (finding that Respondent registered and used the domain name in bad faith pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv) because Respondent was using the confusingly similar domain name to attract Internet users to its commercial website).  See also Am. Online, Inc. v. Tencent Comm. Corp., FA 93668 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 21, 2000) (finding bad faith where Respondent registered and used an infringing domain name to attract users to a website sponsored by Respondent).

The Panel finds that Complainant fulfilled Policy ¶ 4(a)(iii).

DECISION

Having established all three elements required under the ICANN Policy, the Panel concludes that relief shall be GRANTED.

Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <intertel.org> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.

Hon. Carolyn Marks Johnson, Panelist

Dated: June 11, 2004

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