WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION

Accenture Global Services Limited v. Domain Admin, Whois Privacy Corp.

Case No. D2021-1672

1. The Parties

The Complainant is Accenture Global Services Limited, Ireland, represented by McDermott Will & Emery LLP, United States of America (“United States”).

The Respondent is Domain Admin, Whois Privacy Corp., Bahamas.

2. The Domain Names and Registrar

The disputed domain names <accecnture.com>, and <accenturefereral.com> are registered with Internet Domain Service BS Corp (the “Registrar”).

3. Procedural History

The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on May 28, 2021. On May 28, 2021, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain names. On May 31, 2021, 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 for the disputed domain names.

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 June 3, 2021. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was June 23, 2021. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on July 6, 2021.

The Center appointed Taras Kyslyy as the sole panelist in this matter on July 12, 2021. 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

Since January 2001, the Complainant has extensively used and continues to use the trademark ACCENTURE in connection with various services and specialties, including management consulting and business process services, which comprises various aspects of business operations such as supply chain and logistics services, as well as technology services and outsourcing services, etc. The Complainant has offices and operations in more than 200 cities in 51 countries.

The Complainant owns a numerous number of trademark registrations for its ACCENTURE trademark in various jurisdictions, including the United States registration No. 3,091,811, registered on May 16, 2016.

The Complainant operates inter alia via its website at “www.accenture.com”.

The Complainant and its trademark are constantly high-ranked by various reputable rankings.

The disputed domain name <accecnture.com> was registered on April 28, 2021. The disputed domain name <accenturefereral.com> was registered on April 16, 2021. The disputed domain names resolve to web-pages with pay-per-click links.

5. Parties’ Contentions

A. Complainant

The disputed domain names are identical or confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trademark. There are only minor differences between the disputed domain names and the Complainant’s trademark; namely, the addition of an extra letter “C” in the ACCENTURE trademark for <accecnture.com>, and the pairing of the ACCENTURE trademark with a misspelled version of the descriptive term “federal,” in <accenturefereral.com>. This latter disputed domain name appears to be intended to create a direct reference to the Complainant’s “Accenture Federal Services” business division that serves the Complainant’s government clients. The misspelling of the Complainant’s trademark and the word “Federal” comprising the disputed domain names constitutes “typo-squatting,” which is generally insufficient to materially distinguish a domain name from another’s trademark. Adding random characters or a descriptive term to a trademark in a domain name fails to negate confusing similarity, especially when the descriptive term suggests an affiliation with the Complainant, as the inclusion of the misspelled “federal” appears to refer to the Complainant’s own Federal Services business division. The addition of a generic Top-Level domain (the “gTLD”) to the disputed domain names is completely without legal significance.

The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain names. The Complainant’s trademark is globally famous and have acquired secondary meaning through the Complainant’s substantial, continuous, and exclusive use of the trademark in connection with Complainant’s goods and services. The Respondent is neither affiliated with, nor has it been licensed or permitted to use Complainant’s trademark or any domain names incorporating the Complainant’s trademark. The Respondent is not commonly known by either of the disputed domain names, nor were they known as such prior to the date on which the Respondent registered the disputed domain names to trade on the value of Complainant’s famous trademark. The Respondent’s use of the disputed domain names to run click-through links or to redirect users to sponsored websites does not qualify as a bona fide offering of goods and services, and it is presumed that the registrant received compensation for each misdirected user. The Respondent is not making a legitimate, non-commercial or fair use of the disputed domain names without intent for commercial gain, and it appears that the Respondent has chosen the disputed domain names to trade off the reputation and goodwill associated with Complainant’s trademark, and to appear associated or affiliated with the Complainant in order to benefit from misdirected Internet traffic.

The disputed domain names were registered and are being used in bad faith. The Respondent had constructive notice that the Complainant’s trademark was registered in the United States and many other jurisdictions worldwide. Moreover, given the Complainant’s worldwide reputation and the ubiquitous presence of the Complainant’s trademark on the Internet, and given the Respondent’s registration of the disputed domain name <accenturefereral.com> that directly refers to the Complainant’s Federal Services business division, it is clear that the Respondent was aware of the Complainant’s trademark prior to registering the disputed domain names. The Respondent’s use of the disputed domain names to redirect Internet users to commercial websites through various sponsored click-through links constitutes bad faith and indicates that the Respondent registered and is using the disputed domain names with the intent to attract Internet users to its websites for commercial gain by creating a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant’s trademark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the Respondent’s websites. Moreover, the typo-squatting applied by the Respondent constitutes strong evidence of bad faith. The Respondent registered and is using the disputed domain names in bad faith to intentionally mislead and confuse the public into believing that the Respondent is associated or affiliated with the Complainant.

B. Respondent

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

6. Discussion and Findings

A. Identical or Confusingly Similar

According to section 1.11.1 of the WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions, Third Edition (the “WIPO Overview 3.0”) the applicable gTLD in a domain name (e.g., “.com”, “.club”, “.nyc”) is viewed as a standard registration requirement and as such is disregarded under the first element confusing similarity test. Thus, the Panel disregards gTLD “.com” for the purposes of the confusing similarity test.

According to section 1.7 of the WIPO Overview 3.0 in cases where a domain name incorporates the entirety of a trademark the domain name will normally be considered identical or confusingly similar to that mark for purposes of UDRP standing. The Panel finds that the disputed domain names incorporate the entirety of the Complainant’s trademark.

According to section 1.8 of the WIPO Overview 3.0 where the relevant trademark is recognizable within the disputed domain name, the addition of other terms (whether descriptive, geographical, pejorative, meaningless, or otherwise) would not prevent a finding of confusing similarity under the first element. The Panel finds that the addition of term “fereral” in the disputed domain name <accenturefereral.com> does not prevent a finding of confusing similarity.

According to section 1.9 of the WIPO Overview 3.0 a domain name which consists of a common, obvious, or intentional misspelling of a trademark is considered by panels to be confusingly similar to the relevant mark for purposes of the first element. The Panel considers the disputed domain name <accecnture.com> consisting of intentional misspelling of the Complainant’s trademark.

Considering the above the Panel finds the disputed domain names are confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trademark, therefore, the Complainant has established its case under paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy.

B. Rights or Legitimate Interests

Based on the provided evidence the Complainant has established prima facie that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain names.

Furthermore, the Respondent provided no evidence that it holds rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain names.

The Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain names, which could demonstrate its rights or legitimate interests (see, e.g., World Natural Bodybuilding Federation, Inc. v. Daniel Jones TheDotCafe, WIPO Case No. D2008-0642).

The Complainant did not license or otherwise agree for use of its prior registered trademark by the Respondent, thus no actual or contemplated bona fide or legitimate use of the disputed domain names could be reasonably claimed (see, e.g., Sportswear Company S.P.A. v. Tang Hong, WIPO Case No. D2014-1875).

According to section 2.9 of the WIPO Overview 3.0 the use of a domain name to host a parked page comprising pay-per-click links does not represent a bona fide offering where such links compete with or capitalize on the reputation and goodwill of the complainant’s mark or otherwise mislead Internet users. The Panel finds this applies to the present case.

Noting the high risk of implied affiliation between the disputed domain names and the well-known trademark of the Complainant, the Panel finds that there is no plausible fair use to which the disputed domain names could be put that would not have the effect of being somehow connected to the Complainant (see, e.g., Instagram, LLC v. Super Privacy Service LTD c/o Dynadot / Zayed, WIPO Case No. D2019-2897).

Considering the above the Panel finds the Respondent does not have rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. Therefore, the Complainant has established its case under paragraph 4(a)(ii) of the Policy.

C. Registered and Used in Bad Faith

At the time of the registration of the disputed domain names the Respondent knew, or at least should have known about the existence of the Complainant’s prior registered and known trademark, which confirms the bad faith (see, e.g., The Gap, Inc. v. Deng Youqian, WIPO Case No. D2009-0113).

According to section 3.1.4 of the WIPO Overview 3.0 the mere registration of a domain name that is identical or confusingly similar to a famous or widely-known trademark by an unaffiliated entity can by itself create a presumption of bad faith. The Panel is convinced that the Complainant’s trademark is well established through long and widespread use and the Complainant has acquired a significant reputation and level of goodwill in its trademark both in the United States and internationally. Thus, the Panel finds that the disputed domain names confusingly similar to the Complainant’s trademark were registered in bad faith.

According to section 3.1 of the WIPO Overview 3.0 bad faith under the UDRP is broadly understood to occur where a respondent takes unfair advantage of or otherwise abuses a complainant’s mark. To facilitate assessment of whether this has occurred, and bearing in mind that the burden of proof rests with the complainant, paragraph 4(b) of the Policy provides that any one of the following non-exclusive scenarios constitutes evidence of a respondent’s bad faith:

(i) circumstances indicating that the respondent has registered or acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name 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 the respondent’s documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or
(ii) the respondent has 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 the respondent has engaged in a pattern of such conduct; or
(iii) the respondent has registered the domain name primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of a competitor; or
(iv) by using the domain name, the respondent has intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to its website or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of the respondent’s website or location or of a product or service on the respondent’s website or location.

In this regard, the Panel finds that at least the fourth of the above scenarios apply to the present case confirming the Respondent's bad faith.

Considering the above, the Panel finds the disputed domain names were registered and are being used in bad faith. Therefore, the Complainant has established its case under paragraph 4(a)(iii) of the Policy.

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 names, <accecnture.com> and <accenturefereral.com> be transferred to the Complainant.

Taras Kyslyy
Sole Panelist
Date: July 22, 2021