WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION Amalgamated Bank v. Muslum Degin Case No. D2018-2875 1. The Parties

The Complainant is Amalgamated Bank of New York, New York, United States of America (“United States”), represented by Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, United States.

The Respondent is Muslum Degin of Bursa, Turkey, self-represented. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar

The disputed domain name is registered with GoD, LLC (the “Registrar”). 3. Procedural History

The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the “Center”) on December 18, 2018. On December 18, 2018, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On December 18, 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.

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 December 20, 2018. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was January 9, 2019. The Respondent submitted several informal email communications between December 19 and 25, 2018, and again on January 19, 2019 but did not submit any response. The Complainant submitted a supplemental filing on January 17, 2019. The Center notified the Parties on January 18, 2019 that it would proceed to panel appointment.

The Center appointed Desmond J. Ryan as the sole panelist in this matter on January 30, 2019. 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 disputed domain name was registered on November 9, 2018.

The Complainant is a chartered bank and trust company located in New York. It was founded in 1923 by a labour union, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. It operates through 14 branches across the United States. It holds United States Registration No. 4575332, a logo including the words “Amalgamated Bank” and No. 3852482 the words “AMALGAMATED BANK”, dating respectively from July 29, 2014 and September 28, 2010. The Complainant claims use of the mark “AMALGAMATED BANK” in commerce since April 1, 1923. The Complainant claims to have tens of thousands of customers including more than 1,000 US labour organisations. It is the owner of the domain name which it registered in January, 1999 and through which it has promoted and conducted its business in banking and financial services. In August, 2018 the Complainant made an Initial Public Offering and was listed on NASDAQ following what it describes as a “highly publicised offering”.

According to the WhoIs for the disputed domain name, it was registered at 23:45 on November 9, 2018. At 2:07 on November 10, 2018 the Complainant received from the Respondent an email stating that he had bought the domain name “a while ago” and was planning to use it to earn to earn foreign exchange. He did not know about the Complainant but having encountered it on the Internet, he decided not to use the disputed domain name but was planning to sell it. He was communicating with the Complainant first “because the future staining of your company’s business reputation can create huge problems” and that “it may be dangerous for any foreign company to use the name of your company’s trade name”. These assertions were repeated in a further email on November 12, 2018.

The disputed domain name currently resolves to the Registrar’s free parking page which includes links to a number of sites offering car insurance. According to evidence provided by the Complainant, on December 11, 2018 the disputed domain name then resolved to a web page which mirrored the landing page of an unrelated third party, American Bank, at , including click-on links “Online Banking”, “Apply Online” and “Account