WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION Majid Al Futtaim Properties LLC v. Ekramy Gaber El Said Ashry Case No. D2018-1637 1. The Parties

The Complainant is Majid Al Futtaim Properties LLC of Dubai, United Arab Emirates ("UAE"), represented by Talal Abu Ghazaleh Legal, Egypt.

The Respondent is Ekramy Gaber El Said Ashry of Salalah, Oman, represented by Rabbit IP LLC, United States of America ("United States"). 2. The Domain Name and Registrar

The disputed domain name is registered with PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainR (the "Registrar"). 3. Procedural History

The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the "Center") on July 19, 2018. On July 19, 2018, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On July 20, 2018, the Registrar transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming that the Respondent is listed as the registrant and providing the contact details and contact information for the disputed domain name.

The Center verified that the 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 July 24, 2018. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was August 13, 2018. The Response was filed with the Center on August 8, 2018.

The Center appointed Christopher J. Pibus as the sole panelist in this matter on August 16, 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. 4. Factual Background

The Complainant is a developer of shopping malls, often combined with hotels and/or mixed-use community projects in the Middle East and North Africa. It owns and operates 21 shopping malls, 12 hotels and 3 mixed-use communities. The Complainant employs more than 40,000 people and its malls and associated hotels attract millions of visitors each year. The Complainant's revenue in 2016 was approximately AED 4.5 billion.

The Complainant owns several trademark registrations for CITY CENTRE SOHAR, namely:

Oman Registration No. 102294 dated 04/28/2016 for CITY CENTRE SOHAR Design
Oman Registration No. 102295 dated 04/28/2016 for CITY CENTRE SOHAR Design
Oman Registration No. 102296 dated 04/28/2016 for CITY CENTRE SOHAR Design

The Complainant also owns a family of trademark registrations which incorporate the words CITY CENTRE, including:

UAE Trademark Registration No. 191165 for CITY CENTRE Design
UAE Trademark Registration No. 191166 for CITY CENTRE Design
UAE Trademark Registration No. 191167 for CITY CENTRE Design
UAE Trademark Registration No. 202922 for CITY CENTRE and Arabic Equivalent Design
UAE Trademark Registration No. 202923 for CITY CENTRE and Arabic Equivalent Design
UAE Trademark Registration No. 202924 for CITY CENTRE and Arabic Equivalent Design

The Complainant has used the trademark CITY CENTRE since at least as early as November 1995, when it opened its first shopping mall under the name CITY CENTRE DEIRA, Dubai. Since then the Complainant has opened numerous malls featuring the words CITY CENTRE, including:

CITY CENTRE AJMAN – 1998
CITY CENTRE SHARJAH – 2001
CITY CENTRE MUSCAT – 2001
CITY CENTRE MAADI – 2002
CITY CENTRE ALEXANDRIA – 2003
CITY CENTRE BAHRAIN – 2008
CITY CENTRE QURUM – 2008
CITY CENTRE MIRDIF – 2010
CITY CENTRE FUJAIRAH – 2012
CITY CENTRE BEIRUT – 2013 (formerly BEIRUT CITY CENTRE)
CITY CENTRE MEAISEM – 2015
CITY CENTRE SHINDAGHA - 2016

On May 2, 2016, the Complainant announced its plans to open a shopping mall called CITY CENTRE SOHAR in late 2018.

The disputed domain name was registered on May 2, 2016 at 20:18. At the time the Complaint was filed the disputed domain name reverted to a website which featured links to third party websites which offered hotel booking services. 5. Parties' Contentions A. Complainant

The Complainant submits that it owns many registrations for CITY CENTRE and three Oman Trademark Registrations for CITY CENTRE SOHAR, as listed in paragraph 4 of this Decision. The disputed domain name incorporates the entirety of its registered trademarks for CITY CENTRE and CITY CENTRE SOHAR, and as such is confusingly similar to the Complainant's registered trademark rights.

The Complainant asserts that its shopping malls and hotels are well known in the Middle East and North Africa and that the Respondent knew or should have known about the Complainant's trademark rights before he registered the disputed domain name. The Complainant highlights the fact that the disputed domain name was registered on the same date that the Complainant announced its plans to build and open a new mall under the name CITY CENTRE SOHAR.

The Complainant submits that the Respondent is not affiliated with the