FACTS ASSERTED BY THE COMPLAINANT AND NOT CONTESTED BY THE RESPONDENT:
Factual Background
The Complainant H. Lundbeck A/S is an international pharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, production, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals across the world. The company's products are targeted at disorders such as depression and anxiety, psychotic disorders, epilepsy and Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Lundbeck was founded in 1915 by Hans Lundbeck in Copenhagen, Denmark. Today Lundbeck employs approximately 6,000 people worldwide. Lundbeck is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies working with brain disorders. In 2011, the company's revenue was DKK 16.0 billion (approximately EUR 2.2 billion or USD 3.0 billion). See extracts form the Annual Report 2011 attached as Annexes 1. For more information, reference is made to the official website www.lundbeck.com.
Lundbeck markets a number of different pharmaceuticals for the treatment of brain disorders. The most recently launched compounds include: Cipralex/Lexapro® (depression), Ebixa® (Alzheimer’s disease), Azilect® (Parkinson’s disease), Xenazine® (chorea associated with Huntington's disease), Sabril® (epilepsy), Sycrest® (bipolar disorder) and Onfi® (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome).
The trademark Lexapro® is registered in more than 100 countries around the world, cf. Annex 2.
A. The domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights;
(Policy, Paragraph 4(a)(i); Rules, Paragraphs 3(b)(viii), (b)(ix)(1))
The contested domain name is confusingly similar to the trade mark Lexapro®, in which the complainant holds rights. The domain name incorporates the complainants registered trademark combined with the generic and descriptive terms “buy cheap”. The Complainant claims that for the purpose of a UDRP proceeding, when a well-known and invented mark is combined with a common noun or adjective, that combination constitutes a domain name which is confusingly similar to an invented and well known mark.
Also, the Complainant asserts that it is an established and recognized principle under the UDRP that the presence of the .net top level domain designation is irrelevant in the comparison of a domain name to a trademark.
B. The Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name;
(Policy, Paragraph 4(a)(ii); Rules, Paragraph 3(b)(ix)(2))
The Respondent has not received any license or consent, express or implied, to use the complainant´s trademark Lexapro®, in a domain name or in any other manner from the Complainant, nor has the Complainant acquiesced in any way to such use or application by the Respondent. At no time did the Respondent have authorization from the Complainant to register the disputed domain name.
Further, to the best knowledge of the Complainant, the Respondent has no legitimate right in the contested domain name. The Respondent did thus not use the domain name as a trademark, company name, business or trade name prior to the registration of the disputed domain name, nor is the Respondent otherwise commonly known in reference to the name. On the contrary it is evident from the content of the Respondents website that the inclusion of the Complainants trademark Lexapro® in the domain name is done deliberately and with specific reference to this mark. See the printouts from the website www.buycheaplexapro.net in Annex 3. By doing this the Respondent intentionally attempts to attract for commercial gain, Internet users to the Respondent’s website by creating a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the Respondent’s website
Also, to the best knowledge of the Complainant, the Respondent has no legitimate interest in the contested domain name. As mentioned it is evident from the wording of the website that the inclusion of the Complainants trademark Lexapro® in the domain name is done deliberately and with specific reference to this mark, and that the inclusion of the term “order” indicates that you can order the Complainants´ product Lexapro® on the website. The Respondent does however not use the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods and services. Complainants emphasize that Lexapro® is a controlled substance and, as such, under United States of America law as well as in all other countries, may not be sold online without a prescription from an authorized person (doctor). The Complainants asserts that the activity conducted at the disputed site may well be illegal as to the controlled substance Lexapro®. See, e.g., American Online, Inc. v. Xianfeng Fu, WIPO Case No. D2000 1374 and Roche Products Inc. and Genentech, Inc. v. Vincent Holman and Whois Privacy Services Pty. Wipo Case No. D2010-1951.
Finally, it is evident that the Respondent does not “make 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” as stated in § 4 c of the UDRP.
C. The domain name was registered and is being used in bad faith.
(Policy, paragraphs 4(a)(iii), 4(b); Rules, paragraph 3(b)(ix)(3))
The Complainant claims that because of the distinctive nature and intensive use of the Complainant´s trademark Lexapro®, and because of the specific content of the web site, the Respondent had positive knowledge as to the existence of the Complainant’s trademark at the time the Respondent registered the domain name.
Further, as mentioned above the Respondent uses the domain name to divert Internet traffic to a site that claims to offer online sale of Complainants product Lexapro® without the mandatory prescription. By doing this the Respondent intentionally attempts to attract for commercial gain, Internet users to the Respondent’s website by creating a likelihood of confusion with the Complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the Respondent’s website.
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