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8/9/2019 RVK.com UDRP

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ARBITRATIONANDMEDIATION CENTER

ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION

R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc. v. Gregory Ricks / Whois Privacy Corp. /

Doain A!inistrator

Case "o. D#$%'#$%

1. The Parties

Cop(ainant is R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc. o) Port(an!, *regon, +nite! tates o) Aerica -+nite!

tates0, represente! 1y 2onkon 2orp 33P, +nite! tates.

Respon!ent is Gregory Ricks o) 4ueens Ct, Co((ege tation, +nite! tates / Whois Privacy Corp. / Doain

A!inistrator o) "assau, "e5 Provi!ence, 6ahaas..

2. The Domain Name and Registrar

2he !ispute! !oain nae 7rvk.co8 is registere! 5ith Internet.1s Corp. -the Registrar0.

. Pro!ed"ra# $istor%

2he Cop(aint 5as )i(e! 5ith the WIP* Ar1itration an! 9e!iation Center -the Center0 on "ove1er #$,

#$%. *n "ove1er #$, #$%, the Center transitte! 1y eai( to the Registrar a re:uest )or registrar

veri)ication in connection 5ith the !ispute! !oain nae. *n "ove1er #;, #$%, the Registrar transitte!

1y eai( to the Center its veri)ication response !isc(osing registrant an! contact in)oration )or the !ispute!

!oain nae 5hich !i))ere! )ro the nae! Respon!ent an! contact in)oration in the Cop(aint.

2he Center sent an eai( counication to Cop(ainant on "ove1er #;, #$% provi!ing the

registrant an! contact in)oration !isc(ose! 1y the Registrar, an! inviting Cop(ainant to su1it

an aen!ent to the Cop(aint. Cop(ainant )i(e! an aen!e! Cop(aint on "ove1er #


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2he !ispute! !oain nae is i!entica( to the Cop(ainantBs ark, 1ut )or the .co generic 2op'3eve(

Doain, 5hich is genera((y consi!ere! inconse:uentia( 5hen !eterining con)using sii(arity. ee, e.g.,

e! "olding #imited v. Steve $erry/WWW Enterprise, Inc., WIP* Case "o. D#$$;. "ota1(y, ho5ever, Cop(ainant !oes not

a((ege -or provi!e any evi!ence0 that it ha! 1een using the !ispute! ark since that !ate. Accor!ing(y, its

!ate o) incorporation or coenceent o) 1usiness is irre(evant.

3ast(y, Cop(ainant a((eges that Cop(ainant has 1een using the ark in various phases o) its 1usinesssince at (east %>>#. Anne %@, #. 2he cite! Anne, ho5ever, creates soe a1iguity a1out this assertion.

Anne %@ is a !ec(aration )ro cott Gratsinger. 2here are t5o versions o) this !ec(aration, ho5ever. In the

version )i(e! 5ith the origina( Cop(aint, 9r. Gratsinger avers on(y that Cop(ainant has use! the ark

since at (east Apri( #$$$. 2his cite! paragraph !oes not support -or even ention0 the %>># !ate appearing

in the Cop(aint. In the version o) the !ec(aration that accopanies the Aen!e! Cop(aint, ho5ever, 9r.

Gratsinger has o!i)ie! this stateent to conten! that the ark 5as in use since at (east Dece1er %>>#.

=e cites to an ehi1it, nae(y a (etter sent 1y Cop(ainant in Dece1er %>>#, a((ege!(y using the RVK ark.

2hat ehi1it appears to 1e a (etter in 5hich Cop(ainant uses the initia(s RVK as part o) its (etterhea!.

+n!erneath the RVK (etterhea! is the corporate nae R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc. At issue, there)ore, is

5hether this (etter a!e:uate(y evi!ences tra!eark use as o) %>>#.

2his issue is a!!resse! in ection %$%.$-h0-i0 o) the +nite! tates 2ra!eark *))iceBs 2ra!eark 9anua(

o) ?aining Proce!ure -29?P0. 2his su1section, entit(e! 3etterhea!, esta1(ishes 5hen usage o) a


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ark on (etterhea! 5i(( 1e !eee! su))icient to constitute a specien o) coercia( use esta1(ishing

tra!eark rightsH

3etterhea! stationery, 1usiness car!s or invoices 1earing the ark ay 1e accepte! i) they create an

association 1et5een the ark an! the services. 2o create an association 1et5een the ark an! the

services, the specien !oes not have to spe(( out the speci)ic nature or type o) services. A genera( re)erence

to the in!ustry ay 1e accepta1(e. In re %alph Mantia Inc., ; +P4#! %# -22A6 #$$$0 -(etterhea! an!

1usiness car!s sho5ing the 5or! Design are accepta1(e evi!ence o) use o) ark )or coercia( art !esignservices0 In re South!est &etro'Chem, Inc., % +P4 @% -22A6 %>@0 -use o) ark on (etterhea! net to

the nae *+2=W?2 P?2R*'C=?9, I"C. )oun! to 1e su))icient to sho5 use o) the ark )or consu(ting

an! a!visory services re(ating to the aking an! using o) (u1ricating oi(s an! greases, 5hen use! )or (etters

in correspon!ence 5ith custoers0.

3etterhea! or 1usiness car!s that 1ear on(y the ark an! a copany nae an! a!!ress are not a!e:uate

speciens -un(ess the ark itse() has a !escriptive portion that re)ers to the service0, 1ecause they !o not

sho5 that the ark is use! in the sa(e or a!vertising o) the particu(ar services recite! in the app(ication. In re

Monograms (merica, Inc., ;% +P4#! %%@ -22A6 %>>>0 -(etterhea! speciens sho5ing the ark

9*"*GRA9 A9?RICA an! the 5or!ing A "ation5i!e "et5ork o) ?1roi!ery tores he(! insu))icient to

support registration )or consu(ting services )or e1roi!ery stores0.

I) the (etterhea! itse() !oes not inc(u!e a re)erence to the services, a copy o) an actua( (etter on (etterhea!

stationery 1earing the ark is an accepta1(e specien o) use i) the content o) the (etter in!icates the )ie(! or

service area in 5hich the ark is use!. In Monograms (merica, the 6oar! in!icate! that the (etterhea!

specien ight have 1een accepte! i) the app(icant ha! su1itte! a copy o) a (etter to a store o5ner

!escri1ing the services. ;% +P4#! %%>.

In (ight o) the stan!ar! set )orth in the 29?P, it !oes not appear to this Pane( that the %>># (etter attache! to

the version o) the Gratsinger Dec(aration appen!e! to the Aen!e! Cop(aint eets the stan!ar! o)

esta1(ishing tra!eark use. A(though the (etter uses RVK as part o) the (etterhea! -a(ong 5ith the

copanyBs nae an! a!!ress0, the (etter !oes not ake re)erence to the speci)ic services that Cop(ainant

a((eges are or 5ere associate! 5ith its use o) that ark. 2he (etter !oes not, in particu(ar, in!icate J the

)ie(! or service area in 5hich the ark is use! or !escri1Je the services in :uestion.

Accor!ing(y, the aen!e! version o) the Greisinger Dec(aration !oes not esta1(ish a %>># !ate o) )irst use

)or purposes o) this procee!ing. Instea!, Cop(ainant is (e)t 5ith its Apri( #$$$ c(aie! !ate o) )irst use as

set )orth in its tra!eark registration. Inasuch as that !ate, as !iscusse! a1ove, post'!ates Respon!entBs

registration, he cannot have registere! the !ispute! !oain nae in 1a! )aith. A!!itiona((y, the Pane( notes

that even i) the %>># (etter 5ere a tra!eark use, there 5ou(! sti(( 1e no evi!ence that Respon!ent 5as

a5are o) it an! thus that he engage! in any 1a!')aith con!uct.

/. De!ision

For the )oregoing reasons, the Cop(aint is !enie!.

0. Reerse DomainName $i3a!(ing

Respon!ent has aske! the Pane( to )in! that this is a case o) Reverse Doain "ae =iacking.

Reverse Doain "ae =iacking eans using the Po(icy in 1a! )aith to attept to !eprive a registere!

!oain'nae ho(!er o) a !oain nae. Ru(es, paragraph %.

Cop(ainant kne5 that Respon!ent registere! the !ispute! !oain nae severa( onths prior to

Cop(ainantBs c(aie! !ate o) )irst use o) its ark. Cop(ainant ust there)ore have 1een a5are that


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Respon!ent cannot have registere! the !ispute! !oain nae in 1a! )aith, since he cannot possi1(y have

kno5n o) Cop(ainantBs as'yet'noneistent c(ai to the ark.

Cop(ainant is not save! 1y its a((egation that its tra!eark use 1egan in %>>#. First o) a((, that a((egation

5as a!e on(y in the aen!e!, not origina(, Cop(aint, an! accor!ing(y the origina( Cop(aint 5as not a

goo! )aith )i(ing. econ!(y, even i) Cop(ainant 1e(ieve! in goo! )aith that its %>># (etter evi!ence!

tra!eark use, it !i! not have a 1asis to 1e(ieve that Respon!ent 5as a5are o) this (etter or o) any other

evi!ence o) Cop(ainantBs a((ege! c(ai o) right to the RVK ark.

Accor!ing(y, the Pane( )in!s that Cop(ainant engage! in Reverse Doain "ae =iacking.

Mi!hae# A. A#4ert

Presi!ing Pane(ist

I($%"n Seo

Pane(ist

A#an L. Lim4"r%

Pane(ist

DateH Lanuary %, #$%;

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