WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION

Brady Corporation v. Bui Van Tin

Case No. D2019-1537

1. The Parties

The Complainant is Brady Corporation, United States of America (“United States” or “US”), represented by T&G Law Firm LLC, Viet Nam.

The Respondent is Bui Van Tin, Viet Nam.

2. The Domain Name and Registrar

The disputed domain name <bradyvietnam.com> (the “Disputed Domain Name”) is registered with P.A. Viet Nam Company Limited (the “Registrar”).

3. Procedural History

The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on July 2, 2019. On July 3, 2019, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On July 6, 2019, the Registrar transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that the Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details and contact information for the disputed domain name. The Registrar also indicated that the language of the Registration Agreement was Vietnamese. The Center sent an email communication to the Complainant on July 9, 2019, inviting the Complainant to provide sufficient evidence of an agreement between the Parties for English to be the language of proceeding, a Complaint translated into Vietnamese, or a request for English to be the language of proceeding.

The Complainant filed a request for English to be the language of proceeding on July 12, 2019. The Respondent did not comment on the language of the proceeding.

The Center verified that the Complaint satisfied the formal requirements of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Policy” or “UDRP”), 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 and 4, the Center formally notified the Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on July 17, 2019. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was August 6, 2019. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on August 7, 2019.

The Center appointed Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac as the sole panelist in this matter on August 12, 2019. 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.

4. Factual Background

The Complainant, Brady Corporation, is a US-based company, which was founded in 1914. The Complainant is a leading worldwide manufacturer and distributor of printers and other measuring equipment.

The Complainant has registered the trademark BRADY in a variety of jurisdictions under the International Registration No. 1264597 dated October 10, 2014, in Classes 1, 6, 9, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 35, 42, and 45.

In addition, the Complainant owns a number of domain names featuring the trademark BRADY, among which a notable one is <bradyid.com> that was registered in 1998.

According to the Complainant, it has run the business in Vietnamese market through its official distributors, Chau Phat Electric Co., Ltd and Nhan Sinh Phuc Co., Ltd, since 2012. The Google search for printing and other equipment of Brady Corporation in Vietnamese strikes 83,800 hits.

The Disputed Domain Name <bradyvietnam.com> was registered on March 23, 2016, and is resolving to a website offering the Complainant’s BRADY branded products.

The Complainant sent a cease and desist letter to the Respondent on January 29, 2019, requesting for a transfer of the Disputed Domain Name. However, the Respondent did not respond to the cease and desist letter.

5. Parties’ Contentions

A. Complainant

The Complainant contends that each of the three elements specified in paragraph 4(a) of the Policy are satisfied in the present case, as follows:

(i) The Disputed Domain Name is confusingly similar to the trademark in which the Complainant has rights.

Firstly, the Complainant contends that it is the owner of the BRADY trademarks in various countries, including in Viet Nam, where the Respondent resides.

Secondly, the Complainant contends that the Disputed Domain Name is confusingly similar to the marks owned by the Complainant by arguing that:

- The Disputed Domain Name reproduces the main distinctive element “brady” of the Complainant’s trademarks; and

- The addition of the geographical term “Vietnam” could not dispel any confusing similarity. On the contrary, this geographical term misleads the Internet users into thinking that the Disputed Domain Name is associated with the Complainant’s industry and commercial establishment in Viet Nam.

- Finally, the Complainant submits that the addition of the generic Top-Level Domain (“gTLD”) suffix “.com” in the Disputed Domain Name does not add any distinctiveness to the Disputed Domain Name.

(ii) The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Disputed Domain Name.

The Complainant submits that the elements set forth in Policy, paragraph 4(c) are not fulfilled.

First, the Complainant’s rights in the BRADY trademarks precede the registration of the Disputed Domain Name, so it is a prima facie case that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the Disputed Domain Name.

Second, the Complainant contends that the Respondent has not made use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the Disputed Domain Name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services. Particularly, by the registration and use the Disputed Domain Name as well as the prominent use of the BRADY trademarks on the website, the Respondent intends to infringe the Complainant’s trademark rights and take advantage of the fame associated with the BRADY trademarks.

Third, the Respondent is not making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the Disputed Domain Name without intent to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademarks of the Complainant for commercial gain.

(iii) The Disputed Domain Name was registered and is being used in bad faith.

The Complainant asserts that it is evident from the Respondent’s use of the Disputed Domain Name that the Respondent knew of the Complainant’s BRADY trademarks when registering the Disputed Domain Name.

Furthermore, because the BRADY trademarks are famous worldwide, it is highly unlikely that the Respondent registered the Disputed Domain Name without prior knowledge of the BRADY trademarks of the Complainant.

The Complainant further submitted that the Respondent registered and used the Disputed Domain Name with the intention to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to the website by creating a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant’s BRADY trademarks as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of its website.

Additionally, given that the Respondent failed to respond the cease and desist letter, the Complainant’s claims should be considered as true.

Therefore, the Complainant considers that the Respondent registered and is using the Disputed Domain Name in bad faith.

With the said arguments, the Complainant requests that the Disputed Domain Name be transferred to the Complainant.

B. Respondent

The Respondent did not reply to the Complainant’s contentions.

6. Discussion and Findings

A. Procedural Issues

(i) Language of the Proceeding

The Complaint was filed in English. However, the Registrar confirmed that the language of the Registration Agreement was Vietnamese.

On July 12, 2019, the Complainant submitted a request that English be the language of the proceeding. The Respondent did not comment on the language of the proceeding.

According to paragraph 11(a) of the Rules, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, or specified otherwise in the Registration Agreement, the language of the proceeding shall be the language of the Registration Agreement, subject to the authority of the Panel to determine otherwise, having regard to the circumstances of the administrative proceeding.

Similar to previous UDRP decisions, the Panel finds that the spirit of paragraph 11(a) is to ensure fairness in the selection of language by giving full consideration to the Parties’ level of comfortability with each language, the expenses to be incurred and possibility of delay in the proceeding in the event translations are required and other relevant factors (see, e.g., Deutsche Messe AG v. Kim Hyungho, WIPO Case No. D2003-0679).

In the present case, the Panel takes into account the circumstances of the proceeding, including, but not limited to:

(i) the fact that the Complainant, a United States business entity, does not appear to be able to communicate in Vietnamese, and therefore, if the Complainant was required to have the documents translated into Vietnamese, the proceeding would be unduly delayed, and the Complainant would have to incur substantial expenses for translation;

(ii) the English language is a common language in global business, and the website under the Disputed Domain Name contains English contents; these suggest that the Respondent has knowledge of the English language and would be able to communicate in English; and

(iii) the Respondent had ample opportunity to raise objections in relation to the language of the proceeding or make known its preference, but it did not provide any response in this regard.

Pursuant to paragraph 10(c) of the Rules, which provides that “the Panel shall ensure that the administrative proceeding takes place with due expedition”, the Panel hereby decides, under paragraph 11(a) of the Rules, that the language of the proceeding shall be English and shall render its decision in English.

(ii) The Respondent’s Failure to Respond

The Respondent’s failure to file a Response does not automatically result in a decision in favor of the Complainant (see, e.g., Tradewind Media, LLC d/b/a Intopic Media v. Jayson Hahn, WIPO Case No. D2010-1413 and M. Corentin Benoit Thiercelin v. CyberDeal, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2010-0941). However, the Panel may draw appropriate inferences from the Respondent’s default.

In accordance with paragraph 4(a) of the Policy, in order to decide on the remedy sought by the Complainant, the Panel will examine whether each of the following three elements is present:

(i) the Disputed Domain Name registered by the Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights;

(ii) the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Disputed Domain Name; and

(iii) the Disputed Domain Name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

B. Identical or Confusingly Similar

The Complainant is required to establish the following: (i) that it has trademark rights, and, if so, (ii) that the Disputed Domain Name is identical or confusingly similar to its trademark.

First, the Panel finds that the Complainant has clearly evidenced that it has registered trademark rights to BRADY, particularly the International Registration No. 1264597 dated October 10, 2014. Also, the Complainant has sufficiently demonstrated and evidenced that it has a continuous use of its trademark for its commercial activities, and in particular to offer printer-related products bearing the mark BRADY.

Second, the Disputed Domain Name comprises the main distinctive element “brady” of the Complainant’s trademarks, in which the Complainant has exclusive rights. The difference between the Disputed Domain Name and the trademark is the addition of the suffix “Vietnam”, evidently refers to the name of the country where the Respondent resides, i.e., Viet Nam.

It is well established that the addition of geographic term (such as “Vietnam”) does not prevent confusing similarity. Thus, in the Panel’s view, the addition of the said suffix does nothing to dispel confusing similarity, as it was found in previous UDRP decisions (see, e.g., Royal Canin SAS v. Ong Pham Duc Thang, WIPO Case No. D2017-2567).

Third, the Panel finds, similarly to previous UDRP panels, that the addition of the gTLD “.com” to the Disputed Domain Name does not constitute an element as to avoid confusing similarity for the Policy purposes (see, e.g., Volkswagen AG v. Privacy Protection Services, WIPO Case No. D2012-2066; The Coca-Cola Company v. David Jurkiewicz, WIPO Case No. DME2010-0008; Telecom Personal, S.A., v. NAMEZERO.COM, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2001-0015; F. Hoffmann La Roche AG v. Macalve e-dominios S.A., WIPO Case No. D2006-0451; Telstra Corporation Limited v. Nuclear Marshmallows, WIPO Case No. D2000-0003).

On the basis of the foregoing findings, and according to paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy, the Panel finds that the Disputed Domain Name is confusingly similar to the Complainant’s BRADY trademarks, and the first element of the Policy is established.

C. Rights or Legitimate Interests

Paragraph 4(c) of the Policy lists circumstances, in particular but without limitation, which, if found by the Panel to be proved, demonstrate the Respondent’s rights or legitimate interests in the Disputed Domain Name for the purposes of paragraph 4(a)(ii) of the Policy. Paragraph 4(c) of the Policy reads:

“When you receive a complaint, you should refer to paragraph 5 of the Rules of Procedure in determining how your response should be prepared. Any of the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be proved based on its evaluation of all evidence presented, shall demonstrate your rights or legitimate interests to the domain name for purposes of paragraph 4(a)(ii):

(i) before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the domain name or a name corresponding to the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services; or

(ii) you (as an individual, business, or other organization) have been commonly known by the domain name, even if you have acquired no trademark or service mark rights; or

(iii) you are making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name, without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademark or service mark at issue.”

The Panel finds that the Complainant has made out a prima facie case that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the Disputed Domain Name. The Respondent did not reply to the Complainant’s contentions and, therefore, did not refute the Complainant’s contentions.

Regarding paragraph 4(c)(i) of the Policy, the Panel finds, in light of the Complainant’s asserted facts, that no license, permission or authorization of any kind to use the Complainant’s trademarks has been granted to the Respondent. There is no evidence available that the Respondent holds any registered or unregistered trademark rights to the Disputed Domain Name.

A reseller or distributor may be making a bona fide offering of goods and services and thus have rights or legitimate interests in a domain name if its use meets certain requirements, which are described in the decision Oki Data Americas, Inc. v. ASD, Inc, WIPO Case No. D2001-0903 (the “Oki Data” case). However, in this particular case, the Panel finds the Respondent does not place any statement or disclaimer disclosing accurately its relationship with the Complainant. Further, the website under the Disputed Domain Name also contains the Complainant’s BRADY trademarks and the copyright indication for “Brady Worldwide, Inc”. These may mislead consumers into believing in a connection or association between the Respondent and the Complainant, where such connection or association does not exist in reality.

With such a view, the Panel finds that the use of the Disputed Domain Name wholly incorporating the Complainant’s BRADY trademarks does not meet the Oki Data criteria and thus, does not constitute a bona fide use within paragraph 4(c)(i) of the Policy.

Disputed names consisting of a Complainant’s trademark plus a geographic term are seen as tending to suggest sponsorship or endorsement by the trademark owner. (See section 2.5.1 of the WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions, Third Edition).

Regarding paragraphs 4(c)(ii) and 4(c)(iii) of the Policy, the Panel finds that there is no evidence that would suggest that the Respondent, as an individual, business, or other organization, has been commonly known by the Disputed Domain Name, or that the Respondent is making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the Disputed Domain Name. In fact, as it appears following the Complainant’s assertions and evidence with regard to the Respondent’s registration of the Disputed Domain Name, the Respondent had full knowledge of the BRADY trademarks and had an intention to gain profit by riding on the goodwill and reputation of the Complainant.

Accordingly, the Panel finds that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Disputed Domain Name, and the second element, paragraph 4(a)(ii) of the Policy is established.

D. Registered and Used in Bad Faith

Paragraph 4(b) of the Policy identifies, in particular but without limitation, four circumstances which, if found by the Panel to be present, shall be evidence of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith. Paragraph 4(b) of the Policy reads:

“For the purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be present, shall be evidence of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith:

(i) circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or

(ii) you have registered the domain name in order to prevent the owner of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain name, provided that you have engaged in a pattern of such conduct; or

(iii) you have registered the domain name primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of a competitor; or

(iv) by using the domain name, you have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your website or other online location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your website or location or of a product or service on your website or location.”

Each of the four circumstances in paragraph 4(b) of the Policy, if found, is an instance of registration and use of a domain name in bad faith.

The Panel finds that the Complainant has put forth evidence that the Respondent has registered and used the Disputed Domain Name in bad faith. The Respondent did not reply to the Complainant’s contentions and, therefore, has not refuted the Complainant’s contentions.

The Panel has considered the Complainant’s assertions and evidence with regard to the Respondent’s registration of the Disputed Domain Name. In this regard, the Panel finds that the Complainant’s BRADY trademarks have been registered and used in commerce for quite a long period of time. Besides functioning as a trademark, BRADY is also being used in the Complainant’s domain names <bradyid.com>, <brady.eu> and <brady.co.uk>. The Complainant’s BRADY trademarks and domain names all well predate the registration of the Disputed Domain Name.

The Disputed Domain Name comprises the main distinctive element “brady” of the Complainant’s trademarks, adding only the geographical term “Vietnam”. Given the extensive use of the BRADY trademarks for printer-related products by the Complainant, which occurs in numerous countries, including in Viet Nam, where the Respondent resides, it is very unlikely that the Respondent registered the Disputed Domain Name in a fortuity. Also, in consideration of the use of the Disputed Domain Name and the contents of the website thereunder, the Panel is of the view that the Respondent obviously knew of the Complainant and its BRADY trademarks when it registered the Disputed Domain Name, and the Panel considers the registration an attempt by the Respondent as to take advantage of the Complainant’s goodwill.

Therefore, the Panel finds that the Respondent intentionally registered and used the Disputed Domain Name for commercial gain and that the Respondent’s actual use of the Disputed Domain Name appears to mislead consumers and confuse them by making them believe that the website is associated, fostered or recommended by the Complainant. Such misleading behavior is indicative of bad faith within the meaning of paragraph 4(b)(iv) of the Policy, on the part of the Respondent.

Taking into account all of the above and the available record, the Panel finds that the Disputed Domain Name was registered and used by the Respondent in bad faith under paragraph 4(b)(iv) of the Policy, and the third element under paragraph 4(a)(iii) of the Policy is established.

7. Decision

For the foregoing reasons, in accordance with paragraphs 4(i) of the Policy and 15 of the Rules, the Panel orders that the Disputed Domain Name <bradyvietnam.com> be transferred to the Complainant.

Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac
Sole Panelist
Date: August 26, 2019