DECISION

Sun Microsystems, Inc. v. Sunjava, LLC

Claim Number:  FA0408000307330

PARTIES

Complainant is Sun Microsystems, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by Chad J. Doellinger, of Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson LLP, 311 South Wacker Drive, Suite 5000, Chicago, IL 60606.  Respondent is Sunjava, LLC (“Respondent”), 12606 W. Meadow Ln., New Berlin, WI 53151.

REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME

The domain name at issue is <sunjava.com>, registered with Network Solutions, Inc.

PANEL

The undersigned certifies that he has acted independently and impartially and to the best of his knowledge has no known conflict in serving as Panelist in this proceeding.

John J. Upchurch as Panelist.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum (the "Forum") electronically on August 4, 2004; the Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on August 9, 2004.

On August 5, 2004, Network Solutions, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the domain name <sunjava.com> is registered with Network Solutions, Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Network Solutions, Inc. has 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 August 11, 2004, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the "Commencement Notification"), setting a deadline of August 31, 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@sunjava.com 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 September 9, 2004, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed John J. Upchurch as Panelist.

Having reviewed the communications records, the Administrative Panel (the "Panel") finds that the Forum has 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. Respondent’s <sunjava.com> domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s SUN and JAVA marks.

2. Respondent does not have any rights or legitimate interests in the <sunjava.com> domain name.

3. Respondent registered and used the <sunjava.com> domain name in bad faith.

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

FINDINGS

Complainant, Sun Microsystems, Inc., is an established, multi-national company with business operations in many areas, including but not limited to computer hardware, computer software, network computing equipment and related services.

Complainant adopted, and has continuously used and promoted its SUN mark in connection with computers, computer hardware, software and related goods, services and technologies in the United States and abroad since 1982.  Complainant holds trademark registrations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the SUN mark (Reg. No. 1,776,322, issued June 15, 1993, Reg. No. 1,794,747, issued September 28, 1993, Reg. No. 1,384,991, issued March 4, 1986, Reg. No. 2,724,488, issued June 10, 2003).

Complainant has also adopted and continuously used the JAVA mark in connection with computer software, computer hardware and related goods, services and technologies.  Complainant holds federal trademark registrations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the JAVA mark (Reg. No. 1,516,265, issued December 12, 1988, Reg. No. 2,178,784, issued August 4, 1998, Reg. No. 2,298,389, issued December 7, 1999).

Respondent registered the <sunjava.com> domain name on May 23, 1998 and is using it to redirect Internet users to its commercial website offering the same computer related product and services as Complainant offered.  Respondent is also attempting to sell the domain name registration, as evidenced by the message, “This domain name is for sale!  Sunjava.com make us an offer before its gone.  Send offers to domain@sunjava.com,” on display at Respondent’s website.

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 that Complainant must 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 and/or Confusingly Similar

Complainant has established that it has rights in the SUN and JAVA marks through registration with the United States Patent and Trademark office and through continued use of its marks in commerce for at least the last twenty-two and eighteen years, respectively.  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).

Respondent’s domain name is confusingly similar to Complainant’s SUN and JAVA marks because the domain name incorporates both of Complainant’s marks to form the domain name.  The Panel finds that domain names incorporating a combination of a third party’s marks can be identical or confusingly similar to the third party’s marks under Policy ¶ 4(a)(i).  See Nintendo of Am. Inc. v. Pokemon, D2000-1230 (WIPO Nov. 23, 2000) (finding confusing similarity where respondent combined Complainant’s POKEMON and PIKACHU marks to form the <pokemonpikachu.com> domain name); see also Morgan Stanley v. Chan, FA 244123 (Nat. Arb. Forum Apr. 23, 2004) (holding the combination of Complainant’s STANLEY MORGAN and CLIENTSERV marks in Respondent’s domain name to form the <stanleymorganclientserv.com> domain name renders the domain name confusingly similar to Complainant’s marks).  

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

Rights or Legitimate Interests

Complainant has alleged that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the domain name that contains in its entirety Complainant’s mark.  Due to Respondent’s failure to respond to the Complaint, the Panel will assume that Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name.  In fact, once Complainant makes a prima facie case in support of its allegations, the burden shifts to Respondent to show that it does have rights or legitimate interests pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).  See G.D. Searle v. Martin Mktg., FA 118277 (Nat. Arb. Forum Oct. 1, 2002) (holding that where Complainant has asserted that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests with respect to the domain name it is incumbent on Respondent to come forward with concrete evidence rebutting this assertion because this information is “uniquely within the knowledge and control of the respondent”); see also Do The Hustle, LLC v. Tropic Web, D2000-0624 (WIPO Aug. 21, 2000) (finding that once Complainant asserts that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests with respect to the domain, the burden shifts to Respondent to provide credible evidence that substantiates its claim of rights and legitimate interests in the domain name).

Moreover, where Complainant makes the prima facie showing and Respondent does not respond, the Panel may accept all reasonable allegations and inferences in the Complaint as true.  See Talk City, Inc. v. Robertson, D2000-0009 (WIPO Feb. 29, 2000) (stating that “[i]n the absence of a response, it is appropriate to accept as true all allegations of the Complaint”); see also Vertical Solutions Mgmt., Inc. v. webnet-marketing, inc., FA 95095 (Nat. Arb. Forum July 31, 2000) (holding that Respondent’s failure to respond allows all reasonable inferences of fact in the allegations of Complainant to be deemed true).

Respondent is using the <sunjava.com> domain name to redirect Internet users to its competing website.  Respondent’s use of a domain name that is confusingly similar to Complainant’s SUN and JAVA marks to redirect Internet users interested in Complainant’s products and services to a commercial website offering the same computer related products and services, 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”); see also Avery Dennison Corp. v. Steele, FA 133626 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan 10, 2003) (finding that Respondent had no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name where it used Complainant’s mark, without authorization, to attract Internet users to its business, which competed with Complainant).

Moreover, Respondent has not offered any evidence and there is no proof in the record suggesting that Respondent is commonly known by the <sunjava.com> domain name.  Thus, Respondent has not established rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(c)(ii).  See Compagnie de Saint Gobain v. Com-Union Corp., D2000-0020 (WIPO Mar. 14, 2000) (finding no rights or legitimate interest where Respondent was not commonly known by the mark and never applied for a license or permission from Complainant to use the trademarked name); see also Broadcom Corp. v. Intellifone Corp., FA 96356 (Nat. Arb. Forum Feb. 5, 2001) (finding no rights or legitimate interests because Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name or using the domain name in connection with a legitimate or fair use).

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

Registration and Use in Bad Faith

Respondent registered the domain name for commercial gain.  Respondent’s domain name diverts Internet users wishing to search under Complainant’s marks to Respondent’s commercial website through the use of a domain name confusingly similar to Complainant’s marks.  Respondent’s practice of diversion, motivated by commercial gain, through the use of a confusingly similar domain name evidences bad faith registration and use pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(iv).  See Perot Sys. Corp. v. Perot.net, FA 95312 (Nat. Arb. Forum Aug. 29, 2000) (finding bad faith where the domain name in question is obviously connected with Complainant’s well-known marks, thus creating a likelihood of confusion strictly for commercial gain); see also America Online, Inc. v. Fu, D2000-1374 (WIPO Dec. 11, 2000) (finding that Respondent intentionally attempted to attract Internet users to his website for commercial gain by creating a likelihood of confusion with Complainant’s mark and offering the same chat services via his website as Complainant); see also Identigene, Inc. v. Genetest Lab., D2000-1100 (WIPO Nov. 30, 2000) (finding bad faith where Respondent's use of the domain name at issue to resolve to a website where similar services are offered to Internet users is likely to confuse the user into believing that Complainant is the source of or is sponsoring the services offered at the site).

Furthermore, Respondent is attempting to sell the domain name, as evidenced by the message, “This domain name is for sale! Sunjava.com make us an offer before it is gone.  Send offers to domain@sunjavacom” on display at Respondent’s website.  Registration of the domain name for the purpose of offering the domain name for sale is evidence of bad faith registration pursuant to Policy ¶ 4(b)(i).  See Am. Online, Inc. v. Avrasya Yayincilik Danismanlik Ltd., FA 93679 (Nat. Arb. Forum Mar. 16, 2000) (finding bad faith where Respondent offered domain names for sale); see also Banca Popolare Friuladria S.p.A. v. Zago, D2000-0793 (WIPO Sept. 3, 2000) (finding bad faith where Respondent offered the domain names for sale).

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 <sunjava.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.

John J. Upchurch, Panelist

Dated:  September 23, 2004

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