The Complainant is the owner of the trademark TANGLE TEEZER, used for airbrushes that are designed to detangle hair with minimal damage.<\/p>\n
Founded in 2007 by Shaun Pulfrey, the Complainant gained recognition both for its innovative design featuring flexible, patented two-tiered teeth technology that glides smoothly through hair, reducing breakage and pain and for their ergonomic, lightweight design and effectiveness in detangling both wet and dry hair. <\/p>\n
The brand has since expanded its range of products to cater to various hair types, including brushes and combs designed specifically for curly or fine hair, as well as other hair care tools and accessories. In December 2024, the Complainant was acquired for € 200 million by the consumer goods group BIC.<\/p>\n
The Complainant’s products are sold in over 75 countries worldwide and since its funding has experienced significant growth, with annual net sales of more than € 70 million.<\/p>\n
The Complainant is the owner of numerous domain names including <tangleteezer.com>, registered on January 19, 2005, and <tangleteezer.com.br>, registered on June 23, 2013, both used by the Complainant to promote its products under the trademark TANGLE TEEZER.<\/p>\n
The disputed domain name <tanglerteezer.com> was registered on December 21, 2024, and currently does not resolve to an active website. According to the screenshots submitted by the Complainant – which have not been challenged by the Respondent, prior to the present proceeding, the disputed domain name pointed to a website publishing the Complainant’s trademark and images taken from the Complainant’s Brazilian website “www.tangleteezer.com.br” and offering purported TANGLE TEEZER products for sale. The website did not include a disclaimer of non-affiliation with the Complainant in the home page and displayed the footer the copyright notice “© TANGLE TEEZER”.<\/p>", "other_legal_proceedings": "
The Panel is not aware of any other legal proceedings which are pending or decided and which relate to the disputed domain name.<\/p>", "no_response_filed": "
COMPLAINANT<\/p>\n
The Complainant contends that the disputed domain name <tanglerteezer.com> is confusingly similar to the trademark TANGLE TEEZER in which the Complainant has rights as it reproduces the trademark in its entirety with the mere addition of the letter “r” after the word “tangle” and the generic Top-Level Domain (“gTLD”) “.com”, which does not prevent the likelihood of confusion between the disputed domain name and the Complainant’s trademark.<\/p>\n
The Complainant asserts that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name because: i) the Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name; ii) the Respondent is in no way affiliated with, licensed or authorized by the Complainant to use the TANGLE TEEZER mark or register a domain name using its mark; iii) the Respondent is not making use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services or a legitimate noncommercial or fair use, as the disputed domain name, consisting of a misspelling of the Complainant’s mark, impersonates or suggests sponsorship or endorsement by the Complainant and the Respondent’s website (which is currently not accessible) was previously allegedly offering the Complainant’s products for sale whilst impersonating the Complainant by imitating the “look and feel” of the Complainant’s website for Brazil and publishing the Complainant’s trademark and images and information on awards granted to the Complainant in 2019 and 2020, without providing a disclaimer of non-affiliation with the Complainant.<\/p>\n
The Complainant claims that the Respondent registered and used the disputed domain name in bad faith because: i) it is implausible the Respondent did not have actual knowledge of the Complainant’s prior trademarks when it registered the disputed domain name; ii) the disputed domain name consists of a misspelling of the trademark TANGLE TEEZER; iii) the Respondent has used the Complainant’s trademarks without permission to get traffic to its website and obtain commercial gain by creating a false impression of a potential affiliation or connection with the Complainant; iv) the Respondent was using the disputed domain name to send fraudulent emails impersonating the Complainant to customers who made a purchase on the Respondent’s website; and v) the current passive holding of the disputed domain name – which was deactivated following a takedown request sent by the Complainant’s representative to the registrar -, does not prevent a finding of bad faith under the doctrine of passive holding.<\/p>\n
RESPONDENT<\/p>\n
No administratively compliant Response has been filed.<\/p>", "rights": "
The Complainant has, to the satisfaction of the Panel, shown the disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights (within the meaning of paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy).<\/p>", "no_rights_or_legitimate_interests": "
The Complainant has, to the satisfaction of the Panel, shown the Respondent to have no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name (within the meaning of paragraph 4(a)(ii) of the Policy).<\/p>", "bad_faith": "
The Complainant has, to the satisfaction of the Panel, shown the disputed domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith (within the meaning of paragraph 4(a)(iii) of the Policy).<\/p>", "procedural_factors": "
The Panel is satisfied that all procedural requirements under UDRP were met and there is no other reason why it would be inappropriate to provide a decision.<\/p>", "decision": "Accepted", "panelists": [ "Luca Barbero" ], "date_of_panel_decision": "2025-04-18 00:00:00", "informal_english_translation": "
The Complainant has demonstrated ownership of rights in the trademark TANGLE TEEZER for the purposes of standing to file a UDRP complaint.<\/p>\n
The Complainant is the owner of the following trademark registrations for TANGLE TEEZER:<\/p>\n
- European Union trademark registration No. 004345963 for TANGLE TEEZER (word mark), filed on March 17, 2005, and registered on April 26, 2006, in classes 3, 21 and 25;<\/p>\n
- Brazilian trademark registration No. 903161508 for TANGLE TEEZER (word mark), filed on November 24, 2010, and registered on April 22, 2014, in class 21;<\/p>\n
- International trademark registration No. 1262393 for TANGLE TEEZER (figurative mark), registered on November 4, 2014, in classes 3, 8, 11, 21, 26, 35 and 44;<\/p>\n
- International trademark registration No. 1819217 for TANGLE TEEZER (figurative mark), registered on April 16, 2024, in classes 3, 8, 11, 16, 21, 26, 35 and 44.<\/p>", "decision_domains": { "tanglerteezer.com": "TRANSFERRED" }, "panelist": null, "panellists_text": null }