WIPO - CEDA REGIONAL
ROVING SYMPOSIUM ON
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FOR
SMES
Paramaribo, Suriname; Castries, St. Lucia; Kingston,
Jamaica; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
July 2005
WIPO Domain Name Dispute Settlement: An
Introduction
Christopher. M. Kalanje, Consultant, SMEs Division, WIPO
Road Map
Domain Name
Dispute
Resolution
The Domain Name
System (DNS)
Relevance of
Intellectual
Property
Domain Names and
Business
Conclusions
The Domain Name System (DNS)
Exponential increase
of users
Multi-functionality
hence popular
INTERNET
Multi-jurisdictional
Relative
affordability
No central point of
authority
Not specifically
regulated
The Domain Name System (DNS)
contd.
• Domain name is an address of a
computer
– Human friendly
– Easy to remember
– Easy to identify
• Internet protocol is unique underlying
numeric address
The Domain Name System (DNS)
contd.
Domain Name
Internet Protocol
www.wipo.int
(Universal Resource Locator)
URL
192.91.247.53
The Domain Name System (DNS)
contd.
Domain
Name
System
Ability to
Navigate
the
Internet
The Domain Name System (DNS)
contd.
URL = http://www.yahoo.com
Internet
Hypertext Transfer
Protocol
Top level Domain
Second Level Domain
Other examples are
http://www.angostura.com
http://www.barbados.org
The Domain Name System (DNS)
contd.
Top Level Domains
ccTLD
gTLD
Restricted
Open
Specified
Open
The Domain Name System (DNS)
contd.
Restricted
Open
.aero
.coop
.gov
.pro
gTLDs
The Domain Name System (DNS)
contd.
May be either widely used or restricted
ccTLD
.bz
.lc
.ht
.bb
.ag
.tt
.bs
.jm
.gd
.dm
.do
.kn
.sr
.gy
.vc
Domain Name and Business
North
West
Global Nature of DN
South
East
Domain Name and Business contd.
- Visibility
(TV and print
advertising, Billboards, bumper
stickers)
- User friendly
(Coca-Cola, Cnn,
Jamaica blue
mountain coffee)
- Potential value
$ $, € €, £ £, ¥ ¥
Domain Name and Business contd.
• Worldwide DN registrations reached a
record high of 76.9 m. in the first quarter of
2005*
• drugs.com sold for $823,456 †
• In July 2000, the name our.com saw twentysix bids on eBay.com † †
* http://weboptimiser.com/search_engine_marketing_news/13043539.html
†
††
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWE/is_11_4/ai_67003896
ibid.
Domain Name and Business contd.
• A Domain name can be a short-cut to
branding
• Potential of reaching new markets
increases
• Companies take extra efforts to acquire
and promote their domain names
• The explosive growth of the Internet leaves
fewer good names from which to choose.
Domain Name and Business contd.
"The Internet is not really about
technology--it is about marketing
yourself and your products.”
iDomain.com
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FW
E/is_11_4/ai_67003896
Relevance of IP
One address per user &
FCFS Principle
Potentially
Explosive
Business
Environment
Relevance of IP contd.
Tension between
Addresses on the
internet (power
of connotation
and
identification)
Domain Name System
Trademarks,
personality
rights,
Geographical
indication
(rights of
Identification)
Intellectual
Property System
Relevance of IP contd.
Trademark
- Territorial registration
and application
- Different classes
- Examination and
opposition
- Goods and services
in commerce
Domain Name
- First come first served
- One unique registration
- Application across
jurisdictions
- In principle, no
examination
- Broad use
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
Courts
Options
Administrative
procedure
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Filing a claim before a court
– You need a lawyer
– Lodge a complaint against the cybersquatter
– Interim measure (injunction)
– Process can be extremely long
• Won’t be able to use your DN until the end of
the process
• The cost of waiting can be extremely high in
business term
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
– Established 1995
– To provide services for the resolution of
commercial dispute between private parties
involving IP , through procedure other than
court litigation
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Administrative procedure: The Uniform
Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
(UDRP)
– Adopted by ICANN effective December 1999
– Applicable to gTLD
– May be used by ccTLD through voluntary
adoption
– Both parties can go to court after UDRP
– Remedies: Transfer or cancellation only; No
monetary damages
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
UDRP procedure
is designed for
DN disputes that
meet the
following
cumulative
criteria
• Trademark identical
or confusingly similar
to domain name
• Registrant has no
rights or legitimate
interest in DN
• DN registered
and used in bad
faith
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• WIPO UDRP Implementation
– Web site including model complaint and
model response
– Online case filing and communication (e-mail
and web forms)
– Multilingual case administration
– Non-profit fees (btw US $ 1’500 - 4’000)
– Impartial WIPO Panelists
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• WIPO UDRP Panelists
– 1 - 3 independent and impartial (appointed
by WIPO)
– Intellectual Property and Internet specialists
– Posted detailed resumes
– 384members from 54 countries
– Multilingual capacity (speaking 33 languages
amongst them)
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Procedure
– Complainant files complaint with dispute
resolution service provider e.g WIPO Center
– Provider notifies DN registrant of opportunity
to respond
– Provider appoints independent panel from list
– Panel decides based on common principles
– Registrar implements panel decision
Implementation
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
0
+3
+1
+20
+5
+14
+3
+10
Visual Model of the Procedure
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Advantages of UDRP process
– Global scope
– Time - and Cost Effective
– Enforceable Decisions
– Transparent
– Without Prejudice to Court Adjudication
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Business strategy can play a significant role
in the choice of procedure i.e Court or
UDRP
• Factors that may influence the choice of
route may include,
– Potential cost of a long process
– Potential damages to be paid
– The willingness of the complainant to let-go
the underlying domain name
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Cases administered by WIPO under UDRP
procedures exceeded 7’500 (As of June 2005)
• Involved parties from 122 countries and more than
14’500 Internet domain names
• Resolved cases: 7’189 (96%)
– WIPO panel decisions: 5’711
– transfer rate: 83%
– party settlement:
20%
• Completion time per case: approx.. 2 months
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Example,
– Julia Roberts v Russell Boyd (juliaroberts.com)
– Madonna Ciccone v Dan Parisi (madonna.com)
– Morgan Freeman v Mighty LLC
(morganfreeman.com)
– Produits Berger v. Randal Law (lampeberger.bz)
More information:
http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/cases/index.html
Domain Name Dispute Resolution
contd.
• Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas,
Belize, and Trinidad and Tobago are
among 45 countries that have
appointed the Center as service
provider for their ccTLD domain name
disputes.
Conclusion
• DN names have evolved into strong
business identifiers
• The potential of trademark and other
business identifiers being infringed have
increased with the increase popularity of
Internet
• Basically two options are available to settle
DN/TM conflict
– Litigation in court
– Administrative procedure
Conclusion contd.
• The UDRP offers a less expensive option
for parties involved in DN/TM dispute
• WIPO’s Arbitration and Mediation Center
provide services for DN dispute
resolution
• More information,
http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains
Finally