The Complainant is a company headquartered in Switzerland that has been active in the chocolate and confectionery industry since 1845. Over the course of its long history, it has established itself as one of the world’s leading premium chocolate manufacturers. Its global operations are supported by 12 production facilities, a network of more than 600 branded stores, and over 100 independent distribution partners across numerous markets worldwide. The Complainant employs in excess of 15,000 people and reported revenues of CHF 5.92 billion and operating profits of CHF 971 million in 2025. The Complainant’s products are marketed in more than 120 countries and encompass approximately 2,500 product lines sold under a number of well-known brands, including LINDT, GHIRARDELLI or RUSSELL STOVER.<\/p>\n
The Complainant’s international commercial activities have been accompanied by the acquisition of extensive trademark protection for the term LINDT worldwide. This protection encompasses not only numerous registrations for the standalone LINDT mark, but also registrations for trademarks incorporating LINDT & SPRÜNGLI (a substantial portion of its company name, Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG) in various jurisdictions.<\/span><\/p>\n Leading brand valuation rankings continue to place LINDT among the most valuable food brands worldwide. Notably, Brand Finance listed LINDT among the Top 100 Food Brands in 2025, ranking the brand in tenth position globally and estimating its value at approximately USD 4.9 billion.<\/span><\/p>\n Complainant maintains a substantial online presence. Among other digital assets, the Complainant operates the domain name <lindt.com>, originally registered on December 16, 1997, and in use since 1998. This domain directs Internet users to country-specific versions of the Complainant’s website according to their geographic location. These local websites generally provide information regarding the Complainant and its activities in the relevant market and, in many cases, offer the possibility of purchasing the Complainant’s products through integrated online stores.<\/span><\/p>\n Complainant’s visibility on the Internet extends well beyond its official websites. It has established a significant presence across major social media platforms, with its official Facebook page attracting close to seven million followers, its Instagram account followed by more than 200,000 users, and its LinkedIn profile boasting approximately 159,000 followers<\/span><\/p>\n <\/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": " The Complainant contends that the requirements of the Policy have been met and that the disputed domain name should be transferred to it.<\/p>\n No administratively compliant Response has been filed<\/p>\n The Complainant, among other things, contends the following in support of the complaint.<\/p>\n The Complainant states that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to its trademarks LINDT and LINDT SPRÜNGLI and its associated domain names.<\/p>\n The Complainant contends that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name and he is not related in any way to the Complainant. The Complainant does not carry out any activity for, nor has any business with, the Respondent.<\/p>\n Given the distinctiveness and well-known status of the Complainant's trademark and reputation, it is reasonable to infer that the Respondent has registered the domain name with full knowledge of the Complainant's trademark. Furthermore, the disputed domain name is inactive. The Complainant contends that the Respondent has not demonstrated any activity in respect of the disputed domain name, and it is not possible to conceive of any plausible actual or contemplated active use of the domain name by the Respondent that would not be illegitimate, such as by being a passing off, an infringement of consumer protection legislation, phishing, or an infringement of the Complainant’s rights under trademark law.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/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>\n This is a case of adding a descriptive term \"sweet\", after the Complainant's trademark LINDT SPRÜNGLI, it is found that the disputed domain name <lindtsprunglisweet.com> is confusingly similar to the Complainant´s trademark LINDT SPRÛNGLI.<\/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>\n Given the circumstances of the case, among others well-known character of Complainant's trademark LINDT and LINDT SPÛNGLI, it is inconceivable to the Panel in the current circumstances that the Respondent registered the disputed domain name without prior knowledge of the Complainant and the Complainant’s marks and domain names.<\/p>\n The Panel therefore finds that the disputed domain name was registered in bad faith.<\/p>\n The incorporation of a well-known mark into a domain name, coupled with an inactive website, may in itself be evidence of bad faith registration and use.<\/span><\/p>\n It is not possible for the Panel to conceive of any plausible actual or contemplated active use of the domain name by the Respondent that would not be illegitimate, such as by being a passing off, an infringement of consumer protection legislation, a phishing purpose based on the related MX-records, or an infringement of the Complainant’s rights under trademark law.<\/span><\/p>\n The Panel finds that the disputed domain has been registered and is being used in bad faith.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/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": [
"Lars Karnoe"
],
"date_of_panel_decision": "2026-08-07 00:00:00",
"informal_english_translation": "