One of the reasons why the internet works as well as it does is that there is a fast and relatively inexpensive procedure for resolving disputes between brand owners and domain name holders. That procedure is contained in a document called the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP"). The UDRP is incorporated by reference into every agreement for the registration of a generic, and many country-code, top-level domain names. Domain names ending in ".com", ".org" or ".biz" are examples of generic top-level domains ("gTLD"). Domain names ending in a two-letter country code such as ".nu" (Niue). ".tv" (Tuvalu) or ".ws" (Samoa) are country code top-level domains ("ccTLD").
The UDRP is incorporated into domain name registration agreements upon the insistence of a not-for-profit California company called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"). ICANN was established at the behest of the United States government to regulate the allocation of domain names. ICANN subcontracts the registration of gTLD to businesses known as "registrars" and ccTLD to national domain name registration authorities. One of the terms of ICANN's agreements with those registrars and authorities is that the registrar or authority will incorporate the UDRP into every agreement for the registration of a domain name that it enters with a third party.
Para 1 of the Policy states that the UDRP's purpose is to set forth the terms and conditions in connection with a dispute between the domain name holder and brand owner over the registration and use of an internet domain name. In the Policy the pronouns "we" and "us" refer to the registrar or other authority and "you" to the person registering, maintaining or renewing a domain name.
An important but frequently overlooked provision of the Policy is para 2 which sets out the representations and warranties that every person seeking to register, maintain or renew a domain name makes to the registrar or other authority. It will be recalled that a representation is an assertion as to a fact, true on the date the representation is made, that is given to induce another party to enter into a contract or take some other action and a warranty is a promise of indemnity if the assertion is false. These representations and warranties are as follows:
"(a) the statements that you made in your Registration Agreement are complete and accurate;
(b) to your knowledge, the registration of the domain name will not infringe upon or otherwise violate the rights of any third party;
(c) you are not registering the domain name for an unlawful purpose; and
(d) you will not knowingly use the domain name in violation of any applicable laws or regulations."
It is the responsibility of the person seeking registration, maintenance or renewal of the domain name to determine whether the domain name registration infringes or violates someone else's rights. It will be appreciated that these are onerous obligations.
Para 3 of the Policy sets out the circumstances in which a registrar or other authority may cancel, transfer or otherwise make changes to a domain name registration. These include "receipt of a decision of an Administrative Panel requiring such action in any administrative proceeding to which you were a party and which was conducted under this Policy".
Para 4 sets out "the type of disputes for which you are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding." Subpara (a) provides:
"Applicable Disputes. You are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding in the event that a third party (a "complainant") asserts to the applicable Provider, in compliance with the Rules of Procedure, that
(i) your domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the complainant has rights; and
(ii) you have no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
(iii) your domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.
In the administrative proceeding, the complainant must prove that each of these three elements are present."
Para 4 states that those proceedings will be conducted before one of the following administrative-dispute-resolution service providers:
- Arab Center for Domain Name Dispute Resolution
- Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre
- Canadian International Dispute Resolution Centre
- The Czech Arbitration Court Centre for Internet Disputes
- National Arbitration Forum, and
- World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO").
