Biketirehub.com

The timeline behind biketirehub.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 Velotech Inc. v. Carlo Panaccione Claim Number: FA2602002207227 PARTIES Complainant is Velotech Inc. ("Complainant"), represented by Craig A. Beaker of Holland & Hart LLP, Colorado, USA. Respondent is Carlo Panaccione ("Respondent"), New York, USA. REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME The domain name at issue is <biketirehub.com>, (the "Domain Name") registered with GMO Internet Group, Inc. d/b/a Onamae.com. PANEL The undersigned certifies that they have acted independently and impartially and to the best of their knowledge have no known conflict in serving as Panelist in this proceeding. Dawn Osborne as Panelist. PROCEDURAL HISTORY Complainant submitted a Complaint to Forum electronically on February 25, 2026; Forum received payment on February 25, 2026. On February 26, 2026, GMO Internet Group, Inc. d/b/a Onamae.com confirmed by e-mail to Forum that the <biketirehub.com> Domain Name is registered with GMO Internet Group, Inc. d/b/a Onamae.com and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. GMO Internet Group, Inc. d/b/a Onamae.com has verified that Respondent is bound by the GMO Internet Group, Inc. d/b/a Onamae.com registration agreement and has thereby agreed to resolve domain disputes brought by third parties in accordance with ICANN's Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy"). On March 2, 2026, Forum served the Complaint and all Annexes, including a Written Notice of the Complaint, setting a deadline of March 23, 2026 by which Respondent could file a Response to the Complaint, via e-mail to all entities and persons listed on Respondent's registration as technical, administrative, and billing contacts, and to postmaster@biketirehub.com. Also on March 2, 2026, the Written Notice of the Complaint, notifying Respondent of the e-mail addresses served and the deadline for a Response, was transmitted to Respondent via post and fax, to all entities and persons listed on Respondent's registration as technical, administrative and billing contacts. Having received no response from Respondent, Forum transmitted to the parties a Notification of Respondent Default. On March 24, 2026, pursuant to Complainant's request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, Forum appointed Dawn Osborne as Panelist. Having reviewed the communications records, the Administrative Panel (the "Panel") finds that 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" through submission of Electronic and Written Notices, as defined in Rule 1 and Rule 2. Therefore, the Panel may issue its decision based on the documents submitted and in accordance with the ICANN Policy, ICANN Rules, 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 The Complainant's contentions can be summarised as follows: The Complainant is the owner of the trade mark BIKETIRESDIRECT registered, inter alia, in the USA in relation to retail store services relating to bicycle related goods since 2024. The Domain Name registered in 2025 is confusingly similar to the Complainant's mark substituting the word 'direct' with the word 'hub', omitting a letter 's' and adding the gTLD .com none of which prevents confusing similarity between the Domain Name and the Complainant's mark. The Respondent is not commonly known by the Domain Name and is not authorised by the Complainant. The Domain Name has been used to point to a site mimicking the Complainant's official site by copying material from it and using the Complainant's mark in its logo form as a masthead to purport to offer the Complainant's goods and impersonating the Complainant. This is not a bona fide offering of services or a non commercial legitimate fair use. It is registration and use in bad faith. The Respondent has been the subject of several adverse decisions under the UDRP for similar fraudulent practices showing a pattern of bad faith. B. Respondent Respondent failed to submit a Response in this proceeding. FINDINGS The Complainant is the owner of the trademark BIKETIRESDIRECT registered, inter alia, in the USA in relation to retail store services relating to bicycle related goods since 2024. The Domain Name registered in 2025 has been used to point to a site mimicking the Complainant's official site by copying material from it and using the Complainant's mark in its logo form as a masthead. The Respondent has been the subject of several adverse decisions under the UDRP for similar practices. DISCUSSION Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules instructs this Panel to "decide a complaint on the basis of the statements and documents submitted and in accordance with the Policy, these Rules and any rules and principles of law that it deems applicable." 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. 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(f), 14(a) and 15(a) of the Rules and draw such inferences it considers appropriate pursuant to paragraph 14(b) of the Rules. The Panel is entitled to accept all reasonable allegations set forth in a complaint; however, the Panel may deny relief where a complaint contains mere conclusory or unsubstantiated arguments. See WIPO Jurisprudential Overview 3.0 at ¶ 4.3; see also eGalaxy Multimedia Inc. v. ON HOLD By Owner Ready To Expire, FA 157287 (Forum June 26, 2003) ("Because Complainant did not produce clear evidence to support its subjective allegations [. . .] the Panel finds it appropriate to dismiss the Complaint"). Identical and/or Confusingly Similar Previous panels have found confusing similarity when a respondent merely substitutes an element of a Complainant's mark with another element where the Complainant's mark is still recognisable in the Domain Name. See Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Six Continents Hotels, Inc. v. Daniel Kirchhof D2009-1661 (WIPO Jan. 19, 2010)(finding that respondent does not by substituting an element of the Complainant's mark with other descriptive or generic terms prevent a domain name from being confusingly similar to the Complainant's mark where the mark is still recognisable). The Panel finds that the substitution of the generic 'direct' element of the Complainant's mark with the generic term 'hub' does not prevent confusing similarity between the Domain Name and the Complainant's registered trade mark. The Panel finds that a misspelling such as the omission of a single letter 's' in this case does not distinguish the Domain Name from the Complainant's registered trade mark pursuant to the Policy. See Twitch Interactive Inc. v Zhang qin, FA 1626511 (Forum Aug 4, 2015). The gTLD .com does not serve to prevent confusing similarity between the Domain Name and the Complainant's mark. See Red Hat Inc v Haecke FA 726010 (Forum July 24, 2006) (concluding that the redhat.org domain name is identical to the complainant's red hat mark because the mere addition of the gTLD was insufficient to differentiate the disputed domain name from the mark). Accordingly, the Panel holds that the Domain Name is confusingly similar for the purposes of the Policy to the Complainant's registered mark. As such the Panel holds that Paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy has been satisfied. Rights or Legitimate Interests The Complainant has not authorised the use of an adaptation of its mark. There is no evidence or reason to suggest the Respondent is, in fact, commonly known by the Domain Name. See Alaska Air Group, Inc. and its subsidiary, Alaska Airlines v. Song Bin, FA 1574905 (Forum Sept. 17, 2014) (holding that the respondent was not commonly known by the disputed domain name as demonstrated by the WHOIS information and based on the fact that the complainant had not licensed or authorized the respondent to use its ALASKA AIRLINES mark). The use is commercial and so cannot be non commercial legitimate fair use. The web site attached to the Domain Name uses the exact Complainant's BIKETIRESDIRECT mark in its logo form as a masthead and material copied from the Complainant's web site to impersonate the Complainant and suggest that it is a site operated by or authorised by the Complainant when it is not. The Panel finds this use is deceptive and confusing. As such it cannot amount to the bona fide offering of goods and services. See Am. Intl Group Inc v Benjamin FA 944242 (Forum May 11, 2007) (finding that the Respondent's use of a confusingly similar domain name to compete with the Complainant's business did not constitute a bona fide use of goods and services.) The Respondent has not answered the Complaint or rebutted the prima facie case evidenced by the Complainant as set out herein. As such the Panelist finds that the Respondent does not have rights or a legitimate interest in the Domain Name and that the Complainant has satisfied the second limb of the Policy. Registration and Use in Bad Faith In the opinion of the Panelist, the use made of the Domain Name in relation to the Respondent's site is confusing and disruptive in that visitors to the site might reasonably believe it is connected to or approved by the Complainant as it offers products under the Complainant's exact mark and logo used as a masthead and material copied from the Complainant's site to impersonate the Complainant and represent falsely that the site attached to the Domain Name is an official site of the Complainant. The use of the Complainant's logo and mark and material copied from the Complainant's web site shows that the Respondent has actual knowledge of the Complainant and its business, products and rights. Accordingly, the Panel holds that the Respondent has intentionally attempted to attract for commercial gain Internet users to his website by creating a likelihood of confusion, inter alia, with the Complainant's trade mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the web site likely to disrupt the business of the Complainant. See Asbury Auto Group Inc v Tex. Int'l Prop Assocs FA 958542 (Forum May 29, 2007) (finding that the respondent's use of the disputed domain name to compete with the complainant's business would likely lead to confusion amongst Internet users as to the sponsorship or affiliation of a competing business and was therefore evidence of bad faith and use). The Respondent has been the subject of several other adverse UDRP decisions relating to trademarks of third parties. Bad faith may be established through a pattern of registration and use of domain names. See Stevens v Modern Ltd. -Cayman Web Dev., FA 250005 (Forum May 17, 2004) As such, the Panelist believes that the Complainant has made out its case that the Domain Name was registered and used in bad faith and has satisfied the third limb of the Policy under para 4(b)(ii), (iii) and (iv). 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 <biketirehub.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant. Dawn Osborne, Panelist Dated: March 24, 2026 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.