WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP, Tractor Supply Company v. WhoisGuard Protected / Codee Solutions Case No. D2019-1057 1. The Parties

The Complainants are Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP, United States of America (“United States”) and Tractor Supply Company, United States, represented by Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, United States.

The Respondent is WhoisGuard Protected, Panama / Codee Solutions, Nigeria. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar

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 May 7, 2019. On May 8, 2019, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the disputed domain name. On May 8, 2019, 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 Complainants on May 10, 2019, providing the registrant and contact information disclosed by the Registrar, and inviting the Complainants to submit an amendment to the Complaint. The Complainants filed an amendment to the Complaint on May 10, 2019.

The Center verified that the Complaint together with the amendment to 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 May 13, 2019. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5, the due date for Response was June 2, 2019. The Respondent did not submit any response. Accordingly, the Center notified the Respondent’s default on June 3, 2019.

The Center appointed Jane Seager as the sole panelist in this matter on June 11, 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 Complainants are a Texas limited partnership, Tractor Supply Co. of Texas, LP, together with its sole general partner, Tractor Supply Company, a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Complainant”). Since the late 1930s, the Complainant (or its predecessors in interest) has operated a retail business under the name and trademark TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY. Since its creation, the Complainant has expanded into a publicly-traded, USD multi-billion business with some 1,765 stores in 49 states in the United States as of December 2018. The Complainant offers a wide range of products from light bulbs and toys to lawn tractors and trailers.

For use in connection with its retail business, the Complainant is the owner of the following trademarks:

- United States Trademark Registration No. 3039473, TRACTOR SUPPLY CO., registered on January 10, 2006, and

- United States Trademark Registration No. 1846015, TSC TRACTOR SUPPLY CO. (stylized), registered on July 19, 1994.

The Complainant also owns and maintains a substantial portfolio of “tractor supply”-formative domain names, including , which it uses in connection with its main online retail store, as well as , which redirects to the Complainant’s website at “www.”.

The disputed domain name was registered on March 7, 2019 using a privacy service. The disputed domain name redirects to the Complainant’s website at “www.”. The underlying registrant of the disputed domain name has been disclosed by the Registrar as being located in Nigeria. The evidence of the Complainant shows that the disputed domain name has been used to create an email address to send emails purporting to be from the Chief Financial Officer of the Complainant. Specifically, emails sent from an email address “[…]@” have been sent to law firms informing such firms that a former employee involved in an employment dispute has “settled” with the Complainant, requesting the law firm to deposit a cashier’s check, then pay the “settlement”, less the legal fees to the Respondent. 5. Parties’ Contentions A. Complainant

The Complainant asserts both registered and common-law rights in the trademark TRACTOR SUPPLY CO. The Complainant submits that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar to its trademark as well as its domain name .

The Complainant states that it has never granted the Respondent rights to use its trademarks. The Complainant contends that the Respondent is not using the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services, nor for any legitimate noncommercial or fair use. Rather, the Complainant asserts that the disputed domain name is being used by the Respondent to generate revenue through a scheme calculated to mislead law firms into thinking that the Respondent is a former employee of the Complainant who is entitled to a settlement payment from the Complainant. The Complainant further asserts that there is no evidence that the disputed domain name is the actual legal name o