“It’s Jake…from State Farm.”
A 2011 commercial from State Farm involving a suspicious 3am phone call by Jake, carried on its meme qualities for several years.
The underlying qualities of the State Farm commercial were strong and someone registered the domain ItsJakeFromStateFarm.com in 2016 but they let it drop.
A year ago, a guy named Jake re-registered the domain containing the “State Farm” trademark. The insurance company is very protective of its mark and filed a UDRP.
The Respondent acknowledged that they aren’t doing anything with the domain, other than pointing to it when being asked if they are Jake from State Farm:
“My response to this case is that State Farm can simply have the domain name. I’m not doing anything with it, I am not tied to it in any way aside from the fact that my name is Jake and everyone asks if I’m ‘Jake From State Farm’. So, I figured – what the heck? I’ll register the domain since it wasn’t. But I really don’t care about the domain name and am not really planning on doing anything with it. I’m fine with letting it go.”
It would really be funny if Jake—the Respondent—were actually working for State Farm, but they aren’t.
Final decision: Transfer the domain ItsJakeFromStateFarm.com to the Complainant, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company.
Here’s the fun commercial below:
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Jake Johnson / Front Sight Design
Claim Number: FA2101001929792
PARTIES
Complainant is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (“Complainant”), represented by Nathan Vermillion of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Illinois, USA. Respondent is Jake Johnson / Front Sight Design (“Respondent”), Arizona, USA.
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAME
The domain name at issue is <itsjakefromstatefarm.com>, registered with Tucows Domains Inc..
PANEL
The undersigned certifies that he has acted independently and impartially and to the best of his knowledge has no known conflict in serving as Panelist in this proceeding.
Richard Hill as Panelist.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the Forum electronically on January 26, 2021; the Forum received payment on January 26, 2021.
On January 27, 2021, Tucows Domains Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the Forum that the <itsjakefromstatefarm.com> domain name is registered with Tucows Domains Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Tucows Domains Inc. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Tucows Domains Inc. registration agreement and has thereby agreed to resolve domain disputes brought by third parties in accordance with ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Policy”).
On January 28, 2021, the Forum served the Complaint and all Annexes, including a Written Notice of the Complaint, setting a deadline of February 17, 2021 by which Respondent could file a Response to the Complaint, via e-mail to all entities and persons listed on Respondent’s registration as technical, administrative, and billing contacts, and to postmaster@itsjakefromstatefarm.com. Also on January 28, 2021, the Written Notice of the Complaint, notifying Respondent of the e-mail addresses served and the deadline for a Response, was transmitted to Respondent via post and fax, to all entities and persons listed on Respondent’s registration as technical, administrative and billing contacts.
A timely Response was received and determined to be complete on February 1, 2021.
On February 3, 2021, pursuant to Complainant’s request to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel, the Forum appointed Richard Hill as Panelist.
Having reviewed the communications records, the Administrative Panel (the “Panel”) finds that the Forum has discharged its responsibility under Paragraph 2(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Rules”) “to employ reasonably available means calculated to achieve actual notice to Respondent” through submission of Electronic and Written Notices, as defined in Rule 1 and Rule 2.
RELIEF SOUGHT
Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.
PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS
A. Complainant
Complainant states that engages in business in both the insurance and financial services industry. Complainant is a nationally known company that has been doing business under the name “State Farm” since 1930. In 1999, it opened a Federally Chartered Bank known as State Farm Bank. Complainant has established a nationally recognized presence on televised and other media. Complainant has rights in the STATE FARM mark through its registration in the United States in 2012.
Complainant alleges that the disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to its mark as it incorporates the mark in its entirety and merely adds the descriptive phrase “its Jake from”, along with the “.com” generic top-level domain (“gTLD”).
According to Complainant, Respondent lacks rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name. Respondent is not commonly known by the disputed domain name, nor has Complainant authorized or licensed Respondent to use its STATE FARM mark in any way. The disputed domain name is not being used, thus Respondent does not use the disputed domain name for any bona fide offering of goods or services, nor any legitimate noncommercial or fair use, but instead attempts to create the impression that Respondent is somehow associated with Complainant.
Further, says Complainant, Respondent registered and uses the disputed domain name in bad faith. The disputed domain name is not being used. Respondent registered the disputed domain name with actual or constructive notice of Complainant’s rights in the STATE FARM mark. Respondent failed to respond to Complainant’s cease-and-desist letters. Respondent attempts to cause initial interest confusion with the disputed domain name.
B. Respondent
Respondent states, in pertinent part: “My response to this case is that State Farm can simply have the domain name. I’m not doing anything with it, I am not tied to it in any way aside from the fact that my name is Jake and everyone asks if I’m ‘Jake From State Farm’. So, I figured – what the heck? I’ll register the domain since it wasn’t. But I really don’t care about the domain name and am not really planning on doing anything with it. I’m fine with letting it go.”
FINDINGS
For the reasons set forth below, the Panel will not make any findings of fact.
DISCUSSION
Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy requires that Complainant must prove each of the following three elements to obtain an order that a domain name should be cancelled or transferred:
(1) the domain name registered by Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which Complainant has rights; and
(2) Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
(3) the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules instructs this Panel to “decide a complaint on the basis of the statements and documents submitted in accordance with the Policy, these Rules and any rules and principles of law that it deems applicable.”
In the present case, the parties have both asked for the domain name to be transferred to the Complainant. In accordance with a general legal principle governing arbitrations as well as national court proceedings, this Panel holds that it cannot act nec ultra petita nec infra petita, that is, that it cannot issue a decision that would be either less than requested, nor more than requested by the parties. Since the requests of the parties in this case are identical, the Panel has no scope to do anything other than to recognize the common request, and it has no mandate to make findings of fact or of compliance (or not) with the Policy.
See Malev Hungarian Airlines, Ltd. v. Vertical Axis Inc., FA 212653 (Forum Jan. 13, 2004); see also Boehringer Ingelheim Int’l GmbH v. Modern Ltd. – Cayman Web Dev., FA 133625 (Forum Jan. 9, 2003) (transferring the domain name registration where the respondent stipulated to the transfer); see also Disney Enters., Inc. v. Morales, FA 475191 (Forum June 24, 2005) (“[U]nder such circumstances, where Respondent has agreed to comply with Complainant’s request, the Panel felt it to be expedient and judicial to forego the traditional UDRP analysis and order the transfer of the domain names.”).
Identical and/or Confusingly Similar
For the reasons set forth above, the Panel will not analyze this element of the Policy.
Rights or Legitimate Interests
For the reasons set forth above, the Panel will not analyze this element of the Policy.
Registration and Use in Bad Faith
For the reasons set forth above, the Panel will not analyze this element of the Policy.
DECISION
Given the common request of the Parties, it is Ordered that the <itsjakefromstatefarm.com> domain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant.
Richard Hill, Panelist
Dated: February 4, 2021
