WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION Azim Hasham Premji and Wipro Limited v. WhoisGuard Protected, WhoisGuard, Inc. / Samuel George Case No. D2018-0879 1. The Parties

The Complainants are Azim Hasham Premji and Wipro Limited, of Bangalore, India, represented by K&S Partners, India.

The Respondent is WhoisGuard Protected, WhoisGuard, Inc. of Panama, Panama / Samuel George of Benin City, Nigeria. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar

The disputed domain name (the "disputed domain name") is registered with NameCheap, Inc. (the "Registrar"). 3. Procedural History

The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the "Center") on April 19, 2018. On April 19, 2018, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On April 19, 2018, the Registrar transmitted by email to the Center its verification response disclosing registrant and contact information for the disputed domain name which differed from the named Respondent and contact information in the Complaint. The Center sent an email communication to the Complainant on April 27, 2018 providing the registrant and contact information disclosed by the Registrar, and inviting the Complainant to submit an amendment to the Complaint. The Complainant filed an amended Complaint on April 30, 2018.

The Center verified that the Complaint together with the amended Complaint satisfied the formal requirements of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy" or "UDRP"), the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules"), and the WIPO Supplemental Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Supplemental Rules").

In accordance with the Rules, paragraphs 2 and 4, the Center formally notified the Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on May 2, 2018. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was May 22, 2018. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent's default on May 24, 2018.

The Center appointed William R. Towns as the sole panelist in this matter on June 3, 2018. The Panel finds that it was properly constituted. The Panel has submitted the Statement of Acceptance and Declaration of Impartiality and Independence, as required by the Center to ensure compliance with the Rules, paragraph 7.

The Panel on June 26, 2018, issued a procedural order inviting the Complainant to provide a supplemental submission on or before July 3, 2018, regarding the relationship between the Complainants and the Azim Premji Foundation, Azim Premji University, and the Azim Premji Foundation for Development. The Respondent was provided until July 10, 2018, to file a response to the Complainant's submission. The Complainants filed their supplemental submission with the Center on July 2, 2018, providing written authorization from these entities to use of their trademarks (referred below) in the context of the current proceeding. The Respondent, although afforded an opportunity to do so, did not offer a response. 4. Factual Background

The Complainant Azim Hasham Premji ("Complainant Premji" or "Premji") is a prominent and well-known Indian business tycoon, investor, and philanthropist. Premji is the Chairman of the Complainant Wipro Limited ("Complainant Wipro" of "Wipro"), has been referred to as the "India's Tech King," and generally is acknowledged to have been the driving force leading to Wipro's emergence over the past several decades as a global leader in the software industry. Premji also owns and operates a private equity fund, Premji Invest. His net worth has been reported to be as much as USD 18.6 billion.

As a businessman and entrepreneur, Premji has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations. Premji has twice been recognized by Time Magazine 2004 and 2011. The Financial Times in October 2005 included Premji in a global list of 25 persons "dramatically reshaping the way people live, work or think." Premji has also been recognized in Fortune Magazine and Forbes Magazine for his leadership and "power to effect change."

Premji's philanthropical activities also are well known. He founded the non-profit Azim Premji Foundation in 2001, with a commitment to improving the quality of education in India, initially pledging USD 2.2 billion for improving school education. Premji also founded Azim Premji University in 2010 and serves as its Chancellor. Premji was named by Forbes India as the "Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year" in 2012, and received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2017.

The Azim Premji Foundation is the owner of the Indian trademark registration for AZIM PREMJI FOUNDATION (Registration Number 2234618). The Azim Premji Foundation for Development is the owner of the Indian trademark registration for AZIM PREMJI FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPMENT (Registration Number 2234620). The Azim Premji University is the owner of the Indian trademark registration for AZIM PREMJI UNIVERSITY (Registration Number 2234619). The trademarks are registered with an application date of November 16, 2011, and are collectively referred to hereafter as the "AZIM PREMJI-formative marks".

The Azim Premji Foundation, the Azim Premji Foundation for Development, and the Azim Premji University (collectively referred to as the "Azim Premji entities") have not been joined as complainants in this case. However, the Azim Premji entities were formed by Premji, and the Azim Premji Foundation funded by Premji through the transfer of his personal Wipro stock. Premji also is the Chancellor of the Azim Premji University. The domain name is registered to Wipro, and both Premji and Wipro have been authorized by the Azim Premji entities to use the AZIM PREMJI-formative marks in order to protect the AZIM PREMJI name and mark from misuse by third parties.

The Respondent registered the disputed domain name on January 23, 2018, according to the Registrar's WhoIs records. The disputed domain name includes a slight misspelling of Premji's middle name, and currently resolves to a website entitled "I'm Azim Premji", on which the Respondent impersonates Premji and solicits personal and identifying information from Internet visitors by inviting comments or questions. 5. Parties' Contentions A. Complainants

The Complainants submit that the disputed domain name is identical to the Premji's well-known personal name AZIM PREMJI, in which Premji has established common law rights. The Complainants also assert that the Premji's personal name is the dominant element of the AZIM PREMJI−formative marks, and that the Azim Premji name has come to be exclusively associated as an indicator of source for the educational services provided under the AZIM PREMJI-formative marks.

The Complainants further contend that after more than five decades as the Chairman of Wipro and the immense success and global reputation of Wipro under Premji's leadership, the public has come to associate the Azim Premji name exclusively as an indicator of source for the products and services of Wipro. According to the Complainants, this is the result of Premji's substantial ownership of Wipro and the long association of his family name with the company. The Complainants submit that the names Azim Premji and Azim Hasham Premji both serve as trademarks, and further emphasize that the domain name is registered to the Complainant Wipro.

The Complainants maintain that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name. The Complainants aver that the Respondent has not been licensed or otherwise authorized to use the Complainants' trademarks and has not been commonly known by the disputed domain name. According to the Complainants, the Respondent chose to register the disputed domain name in order to create confusion to divert Internet traffic to a website where the Respondent impersonates Azim Premji. The Complainants submit that the Respondent is not using the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services, and is not making a legitimate noncommercial or other fair use of the disputed domain name.

The Complainants assert that the Respondent registered and is using the disputed domain name in bad faith. According to the Complainants, the Respondent was well aware of the Complainants' rights and when registering the disputed domain name, and is using the disputed domain name to divert Internet users to a website where the Respondent intentionally is impersonating the Complainant Premji. The Complainants further submit that the Respondent's bad faith registration and use of the disputed domain name is evident from the "Contact Me" section of the website, where the Respondent has MX email sending capability with a canonical email address potentially allowing the disputed domain name to be used for phishing. According to the Complainants, the very use of the disputed domain name constitutes bad faith, and was intended by the Respondent to falsely create the impression of an authorized association with the Complainants.

The Complainants further contends that the Respondent has engaged in the bad faith practice of typosquatting, as the disputed domain name differs from the Complainant Premji's name only by the substitution of the letter "i" fo