Maccconnection.com

The timeline behind maccconnection.com

Registration, the decision and the archived record of what this domain actually displayed — from public RDAP and the Internet Archive.

Result of record. The panel's reasoning and decisive facts behind each element are in the Intelligence dossier below.

NATIONAL ARBITRATION FORUM DECISION PC Connection, Inc. v. Texas International Property Associates - NA NA Claim Number: FA0806001204915 PARTIES Complainant is PC Connection, Inc. (“Complainant”), represented by James F. Laboe, of Orr & Reno, P.A., New Hampshire, USA. Respondent is Texas International Property Associates - NA NA (“Respondent”), represented by Gary Wayne Tucker, of Law Office of Gary Wayne Tucker, Texas, USA. REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME The domain name at issue is <maccconnection.com>, registered with Compana, LLC. PANEL The undersigned certifies that he or she has acted independently and impartially and to the best of his or her knowledge has no known conflict in serving as Panelist in this proceeding. Clive Elliott as Panelist. PROCEDURAL HISTORY Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on June 13, 2008; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on June 17, 2008. On June 16, 2008, Compana, LLC confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <maccconnection.com> domain name is registered with Compana, LLC and that the Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Compana, LLC has verified that Respondent is bound by the Compana, LLC 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 June 20, 2008, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the “Commencement Notification”), setting a deadline of July 10, 2008 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@maccconnection.com by e-mail. A timely Response was received and determined to be complete on July 10, 2008. On July 17 2008, pursuant to Complainant’s request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed Clive Elliott as Panelist. RELIEF SOUGHT Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant. PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS A. Complainant Complainant is engaged in the sales, marketing and service of computer and networking hardware, software, peripherals and service primarily through telephone and electronic commerce in the United States of America. Complainant asserts that in 2006 alone it spent over twenty million dollars in advertising and marketing and that it has a strong online presence via its websites. It further asserts that individuals, organizations and businesses have come to recognize it as an online source for quality computer-related products and services. Complainant is the registered proprietor in the USA for the MACCONNECTION mark (Reg. No. 1,584,062 issued February 20, 1990 and Reg. No. 1,752,463 issued February 16, 1993). In addition, Complainant registered the <macconnection.com> domain name in 1995 and it states that it has been continuously using the domain name, along with its mark, to sell goods and services in interstate commerce. Complainant asserts that Respondent registered the <maccconnection.com> domain name on March 19, 2005 and that Respondent is using the said domain name to display a series of hyperlinks that advertise the products of Complainant and its competitors. Complainant contends that the domain name <maccconnection.com> is confusingly similar to Complainant’s mark, MACCONNECTION, and that the domain name merely contains a slight misspelling of Complainant’s mark. Complainant submits that Respondent presumably receives click-through fees for each redirected Internet user and that Respondent’s unauthorized use of Complainant’s MACCONNECTION mark in the above disputed domain name is an attempt to commercially benefit from advertising the products and services of Complainant and its competitors. Complainant further contends that Respondent is using the <maccconnection.com> domain name to display a series of hyperlinks that advertise Complainant’s and its competitors’ products and services and that this is likely to disrupt Complainant’s business by diverting potential customer sales to Complainant’s competitors. Finally, Complainant points out that Respondent is a notorious “cyber-squatter” and “typo-squatter” and between the period of April 2, 207 to June 5, 2008, Respondent has lost seventy-three UDRP complaints. On this basis it is contended that Respondent’s use and registration of the disputed domain name to operate a website that offers links to Complainant’s competitors is yet another link in a long chain of bad faith registrations. B. Respondent Respondent agrees to the relief requested by Complainant and states that it will, upon order of the Panel, transfer the disputed domain name. It does, however, make clear that this is not an admission to the three elements of 4(a) of the Policy but rather an offer of “unilateral consent to transfer” as prior panels have deemed it. FINDINGS Respondent does not contest any of Complainant’s allegations regarding the <maccconnection.com> domain name. Rather, Respondent has expressly consented to judgment in favor of Complainant and authorized the transfer of the subject domain name. For the reasons set out below the Panel is of the view that by virtue of Respondent’s consent to or failure to oppose the transfer of the disputed domain name that relief be granted and the disputed domain name transferred to Complainant. DISCUSSION Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (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.” Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy sets out three elements that need to be proved under the Policy. However, for the reasons set out below, such analysis is not required in this case. DECISION Consent to Transfer the Subject Domain Name Respondent has failed to assert any legitimate interest in the domain name. Further, Respondent does not contest any of Complainant’s allegations regarding the <maccconnection.com> domain name. Rather, Respondent has consented to judgment in favor of Complainant. The Panel finds that in a circumstance such as this, where Respondent has consented to or not opposed the transfer of the disputed domain name, it should forego the traditional UDRP analysis and order the immediate transfer of the domain name. See Boehringer Ingelheim Int’l GmbH v. Modern Ltd. – Cayman Web Dev., FA 133625 (Nat. Arb. Forum Jan. 9, 2003) (transferring the domain name registration where the respondent stipulated to the transfer); see also Malev Hungarian Airlines, Ltd. v. Vertical Axis Inc., FA 212653 (Nat Arb. Forum Jan. 13, 2004) (“In this case, the parties have both asked for the domain name to be transferred to the Complainant . . . Since the requests of the parties in this case are identical, the Panel has no scope to do anything other than to recognize the common request, and it has no mandate to make findings of fact or of compliance (or not) with the Policy.”). It should not go unnoticed that Complainant asserts (without contradiction) that Respondent is a notorious "cyber-squatter” and “typo-squatter.” The evidence provided indicates that Respondent has indeed practiced in these affairs. Notwithstanding Respondent's expedient of consenting to the transfer of the disputed domain name, the outcome below should not in any way be seen as a condoning by this Panel of Respondent’s conduct. Relief is GRANTED on this basis. Accordingly, it is Ordered that the <maccconnection.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant. Clive Elliott, Panelist Dated: August 5, 2008 Click Here to return to the main Domain Decisions Page. Click Here to return to our Home Page

Source of record: FORUM . Reproduced for research; FORUM is the authoritative source.