Zippo Manufacturing Co. v. Zippo Dot Com, Inc.

Civil Action No. 96-397 Erie
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
952 F. Supp. 1119; 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1701; 42 U.S.P.Q.2D (BNA) 1062
January 16, 1997, Decided

   JUDGES: Sean J. McLaughlin, United States District Judge

   OPINION:
   McLAUGHLIN, J.

   This is an Internet domain name n1 dispute. At this stage of the controversy, we must  [*1121]  decide the
   Constitutionally permissible reach of Pennsylvania's Long Arm Statute, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322, through
   cyberspace. Plaintiff Zippo Manufacturing Corporation ("Manufacturing") has filed a five count complaint
   against Zippo Dot Com, Inc. ("Dot Com") alleging trademark dilution, infringement, and false designation under
   the Federal Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. § § 1051-1127. In addition, the Complaint alleges causes of action
   based on state law trademark dilution  [**2]  under 54 Pa.C.S.A. § 1124, and seeks equitable accounting and
   imposition of a constructive trust. Dot Com has moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and improper
   venue pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P 12(b)(2) and (3) or, in the alternative, to transfer the case pursuant to 28
   U.S.C. § 1406(a). For the reasons set forth below, Defendant's motion is denied.

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   n1 Domain names serve as a primary identifier of an Internet user. Panavision Intern., L.P. v. Toeppen, 938 F.
   Supp. 616 (S.D. Cal. 1996). Businesses using the Internet commonly use their business names as part of the
   domain name (e.g. IBM.com). Id. The designation ".com" identifies the user as a commercial entity. Id.

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   I. BACKGROUND

   The facts relevant to this motion are as follows. Manufacturing is a Pennsylvania corporation with its principal
   place of business in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Manufacturing makes, among other things, well known "Zippo"
   tobacco lighters. Dot Com is a California corporation with its principal place of business in  [**3]  Sunnyvale,
   California. Dot Com operates an Internet Web site n2 and an Internet news service and has obtained the
   exclusive right to use the domain names "zippo.com", "zippo.net" and "zipponews.com" on the Internet. n3

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   n2 A "site" is an Internet address that permits the exchange of information with a host computer. Bensusan
   Restaurant Corp. v. King, 937 F. Supp. 295 (S.D.N.Y. 1996). The "Web" or "World Wide Web" refers to the
   collection of sites available on the Internet. Id.

   n3 Dot Com has registered these domain names with Network Solutions, Inc. which has contracted with the
   National Science Foundation to provide registration services for Internet domain names. Once a domain name
   is registered to one user, it may not be used by another.

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   Dot Com's Web site contains information about the company, advertisements and an application for its
   Internet news service. The news service itself consists of three levels of membership - public/free, "Original"
   and "Super." Each successive level offers access  [**4]  to a greater number of Internet newsgroups. A
   customer who wants to subscribe to either the "Original" or "Super" level of service, fills out an on-line
   application that asks for a variety of information including the person's name and address. Payment is made by
   credit card over the Internet or the telephone. The application is then processed and the subscriber is
   assigned a password which permits the subscriber to view and/or download Internet newsgroup messages that
   are stored on the Defendant's server in California.

   Dot Com's contacts with Pennsylvania have occurred almost exclusively over the Internet. Dot Com's offices,
   employees and Internet servers are located in California. Dot Com maintains no offices, employees or agents in
   Pennsylvania. Dot Com's advertising for its service to Pennsylvania residents involves posting information about
   its service on its Web page, which is accessible to Pennsylvania residents via the Internet. Defendant has
   approximately 140,000 paying subscribers worldwide. Approximately two percent (3,000) of those subscribers
   are Pennsylvania residents. These subscribers have contracted to receive Dot Com's service by visiting its
   Web site and filling  [**5]  out the application. Additionally, Dot Com has entered into agreements with seven
   Internet access providers in Pennsylvania to permit their subscribers to access Dot Com's news service. Two
   of these providers are located in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

   The basis of the trademark claims is Dot Com's use of the word "Zippo" in the domain names it holds, in
   numerous locations in its Web site and in the heading of Internet newsgroup messages that have been posted
   by Dot Com subscribers. When an Internet user views or downloads a newsgroup message posted by a Dot
   Com subscriber, the word "Zippo" appears in the "Message-Id"  [*1122]  and "Organization" sections of the
   heading. n4 The news message itself, containing text and/or pictures, follows. Manufacturing points out that
   some of the messages contain adult oriented, sexually explicit subject matter.

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   n4 For example, a typical message heading might appear as:
 

        Subject: subject of the message
        From: name of person posting message
        Date: date posted
        Message-Id: identifying # @news.zippo.com
        Reference: reference #
        organization: Zippo
        Newsgroups: news groups to which sender has subscribed
 

   The italicized text represents a generic description of specific information appearing in the message.

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   II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

    When a defendant raises the defense of the court's lack of personal jurisdiction, the burden falls upon the
   plaintiff to come forward with sufficient facts to establish that jurisdiction is proper. Mellon Bank (East) PSFS,
   N.A. v Farino, 960 F.2d 1217, 1223 (3d Cir. 1992) (citing Carteret Savings Bank v. Shushan, 954 F.2d 141 (3d
   Cir. 1992), cert. denied 506 U.S. 817, 121 L. Ed. 2d 29, 113 S. Ct. 61 (1992)). The plaintiff meets this burden
   by making a prima facie showing of "sufficient contacts between the defendant and the forum state." Mellon
   East, 960 F.2d at 1223 (citing Provident Nat. Bank v. California Fed. Sav. & Loan Assoc., 819 F.2d 434 (3d Cir.
   1987)).

   III. DISCUSSION

   A. Personal Jurisdiction

   1. The Traditional Framework

   Our authority to exercise personal jurisdiction in this case is conferred by state law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 4(e); Mellon,
   960 F.2d at 1221. The extent to which we may exercise that authority is governed by the Due Process
   Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. Kulko v. California Supreme Court, 436 U.S.
   84, 91, 56 L. Ed. 2d 132, 98 S. Ct. 1690 (1978).

   Pennsylvania's long  [**7]  arm jurisdiction statute is codified at 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(a). The portion of the
   statute authorizing us to exercise jurisdiction here permits the exercise of jurisdiction over non-resident
   defendants upon:

        (2) Contracting to supply services or things in this Commonwealth.
 

    42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(a). It is undisputed that Dot Com contracted to supply Internet news services to
   approximately 3,000 Pennsylvania residents and also entered into agreements with seven Internet access
   providers in Pennsylvania. Moreover, even if Dot Com's conduct did not satisfy a specific provision of the
   statute, we would nevertheless be authorized to exercise jurisdiction to the "fullest extent allowed under the
   Constitution of the United States." 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(b).

    The Constitutional limitations on the exercise of personal jurisdiction differ depending upon whether a court
   seeks to exercise general or specific jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant. Mellon, 960 F.2d at 1221.
   General jurisdiction permits a court to exercise personal jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant for
   non-forum related activities when the defendant has engaged in "systematic and continuous" activities  [**8]
   in the forum state. Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall, 466 U.S. 408, 414-16, 80 L. Ed. 2d 404,
   104 S. Ct. 1868 (1984). In the absence of general jurisdiction, specific jurisdiction permits a court to exercise
   personal jurisdiction over a non-resident defendant for forum-related activities where the "relationship
   between the defendant and the forum falls within the 'minimum contacts' framework" of International Shoe Co.
   v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 90 L. Ed. 95, 66 S. Ct. 154 (1945) and its progeny. Mellon, 960 F.2d at 1221.
   Manufacturing does not contend that we should exercise general personal jurisdiction over Dot Com.
   Manufacturing concedes that if personal jurisdiction exists in this case, it must be specific.

    A three-pronged test has emerged for determining whether the exercise of specific personal jurisdiction over
   a non-resident defendant is appropriate: (1) the defendant must have sufficient "minimum contacts" with the
   forum state, (2) the claim asserted  [*1123]  against the defendant must arise out of those contacts, and
   (3) the exercise of jurisdiction must be reasonable. Id. The "Constitutional touchstone" of the minimum
   contacts analysis is embodied  [**9]  in the first prong, "whether the defendant purposefully established"
   contacts with the forum state. Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 475, 85 L. Ed. 2d 528, 105 S.
   Ct. 2174 (1985) (citing International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 319, 90 L. Ed. 95, 66 S. Ct. 154
   (1945)). Defendants who "'reach out beyond one state' and create continuing relationships and obligations
   with the citizens of another state are subject to regulation and sanctions in the other State for consequences
   of their actions." Id. (citing Travelers Health Assn. v. Virginia, 339 U.S. 643, 647, 94 L. Ed. 1154, 70 S. Ct.
   927 (1950)). "The foreseeability that is critical to the due process analysis is ... that the defendant's conduct
   and connection with the forum State are such that he should reasonably expect to be haled into court there."
   World Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson, 444 U.S. 286, 295, 62 L. Ed. 2d 490, 100 S. Ct. 559 (1980). This
   protects defendants from being forced to answer for their actions in a foreign jurisdiction based on "random,
   fortuitous or attenuated" contacts. Keeton v. Hustler Magazine, Inc., 465 U.S. 770, 774, 79 L. Ed. 2d 790,
   104 S. Ct. 1473 (1984).  [**10]  "Jurisdiction is proper, however, where contacts proximately result from
   actions by the defendant himself that create a 'substantial connection' with the forum State." Burger King,
   471 U.S. at 475 (citing McGee v. International Life Insurance Co., 355 U.S. 220, 223, 2 L. Ed. 2d 223, 78 S.
   Ct. 199 (1957)).

   The "reasonableness" prong exists to protect defendants against unfairly inconvenient litigation. World Wide
   Volkswagen, 444 U.S. at 292. Under this prong, the exercise of jurisdiction will be reasonable if it does not
   offend "traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice." International Shoe, 326 U.S. at 316. When
   determining the reasonableness of a particular forum, the court must consider the burden on the defendant in
   light of other factors including: "the forum state's interest in adjudicating the dispute; the plaintiff's interest in
   obtaining convenient and effective relief, at least when that interest is not adequately protected by the
   plaintiff's right to choose the forum; the interstate judicial system's interest in obtaining the most efficient
   resolution of controversies; and the shared interest of the several states in furthering fundamental  [**11]
   substantive social policies." World Wide Volkswagen, 444 U.S. at 292 (internal citations omitted).

   2. The Internet and Jurisdiction

   In Hanson v. Denckla, the Supreme Court noted that "as technological progress has increased the flow of
   commerce between States, the need for jurisdiction has undergone a similar increase." Hanson v. Denckla, 357
   U.S. 235, 250-51, 2 L. Ed. 2d 1283, 78 S. Ct. 1228 (1958). Twenty seven years later, the Court observed that
   jurisdiction could not be avoided "merely because the defendant did not physically enter the forum state.
   Burger King, 471 U.S. at 476. The Court observed that:
 

        It is an inescapable fact of modern commercial life that a substantial amount of commercial
        business is transacted solely by mail and wire communications across state lines, thus obviating
        the need for physical presence within a State in which business is conducted.
 

   Id.

   Enter the Internet, a global "'super-network' of over 15,000 computer networks used by over 30 million
   individuals, corporations, organizations, and educational institutions worldwide." Panavision Intern., L.P. v.
   Toeppen, 938 F. Supp. 616 (S.D.Cal. 1996) (citing  [**12]  American Civil Liberties Union v. Reno, 929 F.
   Supp. 824, 830-48 (E.D.Pa. 1996). "In recent years, businesses have begun to use the Internet to provide
   information and products to consumers and other businesses." Id. The Internet makes it possible to conduct
   business throughout the world entirely from a desktop. With this global revolution looming on the horizon, the
   development of the law concerning the permissible scope of personal jurisdiction based on Internet use is in its
   infant stages. The  [*1124]  cases are scant. Nevertheless, our review of the available cases and materials
   n5 reveals that the likelihood that personal jurisdiction can be constitutionally exercised is directly
   proportionate to the nature and quality of commercial activity that an entity conducts over the Internet. This
   sliding scale is consistent with well developed personal jurisdiction principles. At one end of the spectrum are
   situations where a defendant clearly does business over the Internet. If the defendant enters into contracts
   with residents of a foreign jurisdiction that involve the knowing and repeated transmission of computer files
   over the Internet, personal jurisdiction is proper. E.g. Compuserve,  [**13]  Inc. v. Patterson, 89 F.3d 1257
   (6th Cir. 1996). At the opposite end are situations where a defendant has simply posted information on an
   Internet Web site which is accessible to users in foreign jurisdictions. A passive Web site that does little more
   than make information available to those who are interested in it is not grounds for the exercise personal
   jurisdiction. E.g. Bensusan Restaurant Corp., v. King, 937 F. Supp. 295 (S.D.N.Y. 1996). The middle ground is
   occupied by interactive Web sites where a user can exchange information with the host computer. In these
   cases, the exercise of jurisdiction is determined by examining the level of interactivity and commercial nature
   of the exchange of information that occurs on the Web site. E.g. Maritz, Inc. v. Cybergold, Inc., 940 F. Supp.
   96, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14976 (E.D.Mo. 1996).

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   n5 See, generally, Robert A. Bourque and Kerry L. Konrad, Avoiding Jurisdiction Based on Internet Web Site,
   New York Law Journal (Dec. 10, 1996); David Bender, Emerging Personal Jurisdiction Issues on the Internet,
   453 PLI/Pat 7 (1996); Comment, Richard S. Zembek, Jurisdiction and the Internet: Fundamental Fairness in
   the Networked World of Cyberspace, 6 Alb. L.J. Sci. & Tech. 339 (1996).

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   Traditionally, when an entity intentionally reaches beyond its boundaries to conduct business with foreign
   residents, the exercise of specific jurisdiction is proper. Burger King, 471 U.S. at 475. Different results should
   not be reached simply because business is conducted over the Internet. In Compuserve, Inc. v. Patterson, 89
   F.3d 1257 (6th Cir. 1996), the Sixth Circuit addressed the significance of doing business over the Internet. In
   that case, Patterson, a Texas resident, entered into a contract to distribute shareware n6 through
   Compuserve's Internet server located in Ohio. Compuserve, 89 F.3d at 1260. From Texas, Patterson
   electronically uploaded thirty-two master software files to Compuserve's server in Ohio via the Internet. Id. at
   1261. One of Patterson's software products was designed to help people navigate the Internet. Id. When
   Compuserve later began to market a product that Patterson believed to be similar to his own, he threatened
   to sue. Id. Compuserve brought an action in the Southern District of Ohio, seeking a declaratory judgment. Id.
   The District Court granted Patterson's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and Compuserve
    [**15]  appealed. Id. The Sixth Circuit reversed, reasoning that Patterson had purposefully directed his
   business activities toward Ohio by knowingly entering into a contract with an Ohio resident and then
   "deliberately and repeatedly" transmitted files to Ohio. Id. at 1264-66.

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   n6 "Shareware" is software which a user is permitted to download and use for a trial period, after which the
   user is asked to pay a fee to the author for continued use. Compuserve, 89 F.3d at 1260.

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   In Maritz, Inc. v. Cybergold, Inc., 947 F. Supp. 1328, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14978 (E.D. Mo. 1996), the
   defendant had put up a Web site as a promotion for its upcoming Internet service. The service consisted of
   assigning users an electronic mailbox and then forwarding advertisements for products and services that
   matched the users' interests to those electronic mailboxes. Maritz, 947 F. Supp. 1328, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
   14978 at *7 The defendant planned to charge advertisers and provide users with incentives to view the
   advertisements. Id. Although the  [**16]  service was not yet operational, users were encouraged to add
   their address to a mailing list to receive updates about the service. Id. The court rejected the defendant's
   contention that it operated a "passive Web site." Id. at *16. The court reasoned that the defendant's conduct
   amounted to "active solicitations"  [*1125]  and "promotional activities" designed to "develop a mailing list of
   Internet users" and that the defendant "indiscriminately responded to every user" who accessed the site. Id.
   at *14-17.

   Inset Systems, Inc. v. Instruction Set, 937 F. Supp. 161 (D. Conn. 1996) represents the outer limits of the
   exercise of personal jurisdiction based on the Internet. In Inset Systems, a Connecticut corporation sued a
   Massachusetts corporation in the District of Connecticut for trademark infringement based on the use of an
   Internet domain name. Inset Systems, 937 F. Supp. at 162. The defendant's contacts with Connecticut
   consisted of posting a Web site that was accessible to approximately 10,000 Connecticut residents and
   maintaining a toll free number. Id. at 165. The court exercised personal jurisdiction, reasoning that advertising
   on the Internet constituted  [**17]  the purposeful doing of business in Connecticut because "unlike television
   and radio advertising, the advertisement is available continuously to any Internet user." Id. at 165.

   Bensusan Restaurant Corp., v. King, 937 F. Supp. 295 (S.D. N.Y. 1996) reached a different conclusion based
   on a similar Web site. In Bensusan, the operator of a New York jazz club sued the operator of a Missouri jazz
   club for trademark infringement. Bensusan, 937 F. Supp. at 297. The Internet Web site at issue contained
   general information about the defendant's club, a calendar of events and ticket information. Id. However, the
   site was not interactive. Id. If a user wanted to go to the club, she would have to call or visit a ticket outlet
   and then pick up tickets at the club on the night of the show. Id. The court refused to exercise jurisdiction
   based on the Web Site alone, reasoning that it did not rise to the level of purposeful availment of that
   jurisdiction's laws. The court distinguished the case from Compuserve, supra, where the user had "'reached
   out' from Texas to Ohio and 'originated and maintained' contacts with Ohio." Id. at 301.

   Pres-Kap, Inc. v. System One Direct  [**18]  Access, Inc., 636 So. 2d 1351 (Fla. App. 1994), review denied,
   645 So. 2d 455 (Fla. 1994) is not inconsistent with the above cases. In Pres-Kap, a majority of a three-judge
   intermediate state appeals court refused to exercise jurisdiction over a consumer of an on-line airline ticketing
   service. Pres-Kap involved a suit on a contract dispute in a Florida court by a Delaware corporation against its
   New York customer. Pres-Kap, 636 So. 2d at 1351-52. The defendant had leased computer equipment which it
   used to access an airline ticketing computer located in Florida. Id. The contract was solicited, negotiated,
   executed and serviced in New York. Id. at 1352. The defendant's only contact with Florida consisted of
   logging onto the computer located in Florida and mailing payments for the leased equipment to Florida. Id. at
   1353. Pres-Kap is distinguishable from the above cases and the case at bar because it addressed the exercise
   of jurisdiction over a consumer of on-line services as opposed to a provider. When a consumer logs onto a
   server in a foreign jurisdiction he is engaging in a fundamentally different type of contact than an entity that
   is using the  [**19]  Internet to sell or market products or services to residents of foreign jurisdictions. The
   Pres-Kap court specifically expressed concern over the implications of subjecting users of "on-line" services
   with contracts with out-of-state networks to suit in foreign jurisdictions. Id. at 1353.

   3. Application to this Case

   First, we note that this is not an Internet advertising case in the line of Inset Systems and Bensusan, supra.
   Dot Com has not just posted information on a Web site that is accessible to Pennsylvania residents who are
   connected to the Internet. This is not even an interactivity case in the line of Maritz, supra. Dot Com has
   done more than create an interactive Web site through which it exchanges information with Pennsylvania
   residents in hopes of using that information for commercial gain later. We are not being asked to determine
   whether Dot Com's Web site alone constitutes the purposeful availment of doing business in Pennsylvania. This
   is a "doing business over the Internet" case in the line of Compuserve, supra.. We are being asked to
   determine whether Dot Com's conducting of electronic commerce with Pennsylvania residents constitutes
    [*1126]  the  [**20]  purposeful availment of doing business in Pennsylvania. We conclude that it does. Dot
   Com has contracted with approximately 3,000 individuals and seven Internet access providers in Pennsylvania.
   The intended object of these transactions has been the downloading of the electronic messages that form the
   basis of this suit in Pennsylvania.

   We find Dot Com's efforts to characterize its conduct as falling short of purposeful availment of doing business
   in Pennsylvania wholly unpersuasive. At oral argument, Defendant repeatedly characterized its actions as
   merely "operating a Web site" or "advertising." Dot Com also cites to a number of cases from this Circuit which,
   it claims, stand for the proposition that merely advertising in a forum, without more, is not a sufficient minimal
   contact. n7 This argument is misplaced. Dot Com has done more than advertise on the Internet in
   Pennsylvania. Defendant has sold passwords to approximately 3,000 subscribers in Pennsylvania and entered
   into seven contracts with Internet access providers to furnish its services to their customers in Pennsylvania.

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   n7 Defendant has cited to: Gehling v. St. George's School of Medicine, Ltd., 773 F.2d 539 (1985); Fields v.
   Ramada Inn Inc., 816 F. Supp. 1033 (E.D. Pa. 1993); and Garofalo v. Praiss, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8544, 1990
   WL 97800 (E.D.Pa. 1990). We note that these cases all involve the issue of whether advertising can rise to
   the level of "systematic and continuous" contacts for the purpose of general jurisdiction.

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   Dot Com also contends that its contacts with Pennsylvania residents are "fortuitous" within the meaning of
   World Wide Volkswagen, 444 U.S. 286, 62 L. Ed. 2d 490, 100 S. Ct. 559 (1980). Defendant argues that it has
   not 'actively' solicited business in Pennsylvania and that any business it conducts with Pennsylvania residents
   has resulted from contacts that were initiated by Pennsylvanians who visited the Defendant's Web site. The
   fact that Dot Com's services have been consumed in Pennsylvania is not "fortuitous" within the meaning of
   World Wide Volkswagen. In World Wide Volkswagen, a couple that had purchased a vehicle in New York, while
   they were New York residents, were injured while driving that vehicle through Oklahoma and brought suit in an
   Oklahoma state court. World Wide Volkswagen, 444 U.S. at 288. The manufacturer did not sell its vehicles in
   Oklahoma and had not made an effort to establish business relationships in Oklahoma. Id. at 295. The Supreme
   Court characterized the manufacturer's ties with Oklahoma as fortuitous because they resulted entirely out
   the fact that the plaintiffs had driven their car into that state. Id.

   Here, Dot Com argues that  [**22]  its contacts with Pennsylvania residents are fortuitous because
   Pennsylvanians happened to find its Web site or heard about its news service elsewhere and decided to
   subscribe. This argument misconstrues the concept of fortuitous contacts embodied in World Wide
   Volkswagen. Dot Com's contacts with Pennsylvania would be fortuitous within the meaning of World Wide
   Volkswagen if it had no Pennsylvania subscribers and an Ohio subscriber forwarded a copy of a file he obtained
   from Dot Com to a friend in Pennsylvania or an Ohio subscriber brought his computer along on a trip to
   Pennsylvania and used it to access Dot Com's service. That is not the situation here. Dot Com repeatedly and
   consciously chose to process Pennsylvania residents' applications and to assign them passwords. Dot Com
   knew that the result of these contracts would be the transmission of electronic messages into Pennsylvania.
   The transmission of these files was entirely within its control. Dot Com cannot maintain that these contracts
   are "fortuitous" or "coincidental" within the meaning of World Wide Volkswagen. When a defendant makes a
   conscious choice to conduct business with the residents of a forum state,  [**23]  "it has clear notice that it
   is subject to suit there." World Wide Volkswagen, 444 U.S. at 297. Dot Com was under no obligation to sell its
   services to Pennsylvania residents. It freely chose to do so, presumably in order to profit from those
   transactions. If a corporation determines that the risk of being subject to personal jurisdiction in a particular
   forum is too great, it can choose to sever its connection to the state. Id. If Dot Com had not wanted to be
   amenable to jurisdiction in  [*1127]  Pennsylvania, the solution would have been simple - it could have chosen
   not to sell its services to Pennsylvania residents.

   Next, Dot Com argues that its forum-related activities are not numerous or significant enough to create a
   "substantial connection" with Pennsylvania. Defendant points to the fact that only two percent of its
   subscribers are Pennsylvania residents. However, the Supreme Court has made clear that even a single
   contact can be sufficient. McGee, 355 U.S. at 223. The test has always focused on the "nature and quality"
   of the contacts with the forum and not the quantity of those contacts. International Shoe, 326 U.S. at 320.
   The Sixth Circuit also rejected a similar  [**24]  argument in Compuserve when it wrote that the contacts
   were "deliberate and repeated even if they yielded little revenue." Compuserve, 89 F.3d at 1265.

   We also conclude that the cause of action arises out of Dot Com's forum-related conduct in this case. The
   Third Circuit has stated that "a cause of action for trademark infringement occurs where the passing off
   occurs." Cottman Transmission Systems Inc. v. Martino, 36 F.3d 291, 294 (citing Tefal, S.A. v. Products Int'l
   Co., 529 F.2d 495, 496 n.1 (3d Cir. 1976); Indianapolis Colts v. Metro. Baltimore Football, 34 F.3d 410 (7th
   Cir. 1994). In Tefal, the maker and distributor of T-Fal cookware sued a partnership of California corporations
   in the District of New Jersey for trademark infringement. Tefal, 529 F.2d at 496. The defendants objected to
   venue in New Jersey, arguing that the contested trademark accounted for only about five percent of national
   sales. Id. On appeal, the Third Circuit concluded that since substantial sales of the product bearing the
   allegedly infringing mark took place in New Jersey, the cause of action arose in New Jersey and venue was
   proper. Tefal, 529 F.2d at 496-97.

   In  [**25]  Indianapolis Colts, also case cited by the Third Circuit in Cottman, an Indiana National Football
   League franchise sued a Maryland Canadian Football League franchise in the Southern District of Indiana,
   alleging trademark infringement. Indianapolis Colts, 34 F.3d at 411. On appeal, the Seventh Circuit held that
   personal jurisdiction was appropriate in Indiana because trademark infringement is a tort-like injury and a
   substantial amount of the injury from the alleged infringement was likely to occur in Indiana.' Id. at 412.

   In the instant case, both a significant amount of the alleged infringement and dilution, and resulting injury
   have occurred in Pennsylvania. The object of Dot Com's contracts with Pennsylvania residents is the
   transmission of the messages that Plaintiff claims dilute and infringe upon its trademark. When these messages
   are transmitted into Pennsylvania and viewed by Pennsylvania residents on their computers, there can be no
   question that the alleged infringement and dilution occur in Pennsylvania. Moreover, since Manufacturing is a
   Pennsylvania corporation, a substantial amount of the injury from the alleged wrongdoing is likely to occur in
   Pennsylvania.  [**26]  Thus, we conclude that the cause of action arises out of Dot Com's forum-related
   activities under the authority of both Tefal and Indianapolis Colts, supra.

   Finally, Dot Com argues that the exercise of jurisdiction would be unreasonable in this case. We disagree.
   There can be no question that Pennsylvania has a strong interest in adjudicating disputes involving the alleged
   infringement of trademarks owned by resident corporations. We must also give due regard to the Plaintiff's
   choice to seek relief in Pennsylvania. Kulko, 436 U.S. at 92. These concerns outweigh the burden created by
   forcing the Defendant to defend the suit in Pennsylvania, especially when Dot Com consciously chose to
   conduct business in Pennsylvania, pursuing profits from the actions that are now in question. The Due Process
   Clause is not a "territorial shield to interstate obligations that have been voluntarily assumed." Burger King,
   471 U.S. at 474.

   B. Venue Under 28 U.S.C § 1391

   Defendant argues that, under the law of this Circuit, venue is only proper in trademark cases in the judicial
   district in which "a substantial part of the events or omissions  [*1128]  giving rise to the claim occurred." In
   support  [**27]  of this proposition, Defendant cites Cottman Transmission Systems, Inc. v. Martino, 36 F.3d
   291 (3d Cir. 1994). We cannot agree.

   Venue in this case is governed by 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b), the relevant portion of which provides:

        (b) A civil action wherein jurisdiction is not founded solely on diversity of citizenship may, except
        as otherwise provided by law, be brought only in (1) a judicial district where any defendant
        resides, if all defendants reside in the same State, (2) a judicial district in which a substantial part
        of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred, or a substantial part of the property
        that is the subject of the action is situated, or (3) a judicial district in which the defendant may
        be found if there is no district in which the action may otherwise be brought.
 

   28 U.S.C. § 1391(b). Subsection (c) further provides that a corporate defendant is "deemed to reside in
   any judicial district in which it is subject to personal jurisdiction at the time the action is commenced." 28
   U.S.C. § 1391(c). Dot Com is the only defendant in this case and it is a corporation. Thus, under the plain
   language of 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(1), our previous discussion  [**28]  of personal jurisdiction is dispositive of
   the venue issue. Contrary to Dot Com's contention, Cottman does not command a different result.

   Cottman involved a suit by a Pennsylvania corporation against a former Michigan franchisee and his wholly
   owned corporation for trademark infringement arising out of the continued use of the plaintiff's trademark after
   termination of the franchise agreement. The suit was brought in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Both
   defendants were Michigan residents and the corporation did business exclusively in Michigan. In the district
   court, the plaintiff relied exclusively on 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2) to establish venue. The district court found
   venue proper, reasoning that a "substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred" in
   Pennsylvania. Cottman Transmission v. Metro Distributing, 796 F. Supp. 838, 844 (E.D. Pa. 1992). Thus, on
   appeal, the only issue before the Third Circuit was the propriety of venue under § 1391(b)(2). In fact, the
   Third Circuit expressly stated that it was analyzing the case under § 1391(b)(2). Cottman, 36 F.3d at 294.
   The Third Circuit read the record as only capable of supporting  [**29]  the contention that the defendants
   attempted to pass off the trademarks at issue in the Eastern District of Michigan. Id. at 296. Thus, the Third
   Circuit reversed, because a "substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim" had not
   occurred in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Id.

   The fact that the Third Circuit analyzed Cottman under the standard in § 1391(b)(2) does not mean that it
   applies to every trademark case. In fact, at oral argument, Dot Com conceded that if its reading of Cottman
   were the law, it would effectively render § 1391(b)(1) inapplicable to trademark cases and require the plaintiff
   to always satisfy § 1391(b)(2) in order to lay venue. If the Third Circuit had intended to create such a radical
   departure from the plain language of § 1391, it would have said so.

   Since venue has been properly laid in this District, we cannot dismiss the action under 28 U.S.C § 1406(a).
   Jumara v. State Farm Inc. Co., 55 F.3d 873, 877 (3d Cir. 1995). We are also not permitted to compel the
   Plaintiff to accept a transfer against its wishes. Carteret v. Shushan, 919 F.2d 225, 232 (3d Cir. 1990).

   IV. CONCLUSION

   We conclude that this Court  [**30]  may appropriately exercise personal jurisdiction over the Defendant and
   that venue is proper in this judicial district. An appropriate order follows.

   ORDER

   McLAUGHLIN, J.

   AND NOW, this 16th day of January, 1997, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendant Zippo Dot Com's Motion to
   Dismiss for Improper Venue and Transfer under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a); Alternatively to Dismiss for Lack of
   Personal Jurisdiction [Doc. No. 9] is DENIED.

   Sean J. McLaughlin

   United States District Judge