Decisión del Panel Administrativo nº D2002-0588 of WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, August 08, 2002 (case Robbie Williams vs. Howard Taylor)

JudgeDawn Osborne
Resolution DateAugust 08, 2002
Issuing OrganizationWIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
DecisionTransfer
DominioGeneric Domains

WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION

Robbie Williams v. Howard Taylor

Case No. D2002-0588

  1. The Parties

    The Complainant is Robbie Williams c/o IE Music Limited, 111, Frithville Gardens, London, W12 7JG, United Kingdom.

    The Respondent is Howard Taylor of 32, Pentire Avenue, Southampton, SO15 7RS, Hampshire, United Kingdom.

  2. The Domain Name and Registrar

    The Domain Name is .

    The Registrar is Tucows International Corp.

  3. Procedural History

    This Complaint is to be resolved under the Uniform Policy for Domain Name Dispute Resolution (the "Policy") and Rules (the "Rules") approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on October 24, 1999, and the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Centerøs Supplemental Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution (the "Center", the "Supplemental Rules").

    The Complaint was filed on June 25, 2002, by e-mail, and on June 27, 2002, in hard copy. On June 28, 2002, the Center sent a Request for Registrar Verification to the registrar of the disputed domain name, pursuant to which on the same day the Center received verification that the disputed domain name was registered by the Respondent, and that the registration is subject to the Policy.

    In accordance with Paragraph 2 (a) of the Rules, the Center notified the Respondent of the Complaint on July 3, 2002, and the commencement of the Administrative Proceeding on that same date.

    The panelist Dawn Osborne was duly appointed on July 29, 2002, and submitted a Statement of Acceptance and Declaration of Impartiality and Independence. The date scheduled for the issuance of the Paneløs decision is August 12, 2002.

    The Panel finds the Center has adhered to the Policy, the Rules and the Supplemental Rules in administering this Case.

  4. Factual Background

    The Complainant is a successful pop star, having sold over 19.3 million albums worldwide. He is very famous and popular in the United Kingdom. As well as building up considerable goodwill in the name ROBBIE WILLIAMS for entertainment services, the Complainant has registered trade marks for ROBBIE WILLIAMS worldwide including UK and CTM registrations for these services and related goods.

    The Respondent, a UK resident, registered the Domain Name on September 21, 2001. He says he wishes to run an unofficial Robbie Williams fan club, but does not appear to have been actually involved with a Robbie Williams fan club before, whether on line or not. Instead, he has pointed the Domain Name to the website of a rival pop group, Oasis, who have had a long running "rift" with the Complainant.

    The Respondent also owns the Domain Names , and .

  5. Partiesø Contentions

    1. Complainant

      The Complainant states:

      i) He was in the famous boy band Take That for five years before moving on to have tremendous global success as a solo artist, using his personal name Robbie Williams. As a solo artist he has sold 19.3 million albums worldwide and is the UKøs biggest selling male artist. He played to over 1.1 million fans at live shows throughout the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. As a result of these activities, the Complainant has built up a reputation and significant goodwill in the name ROBBIE WILLIAMS.

      ii) The Complainant has trade mark registrations for entertainment services and related goods in a number of countries worldwide, including UK and CTM registrations.

      iii) The Domain Name consists of the Complainantøs registered trade mark plus the generic top...

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