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| WIPO's Geneva Offices Author Melatron Licence CC BY-SA 3.0 Source Wikimedia Commons |
The World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") domain name dispute resolution service can already resolve a dispute between a trade mark owner and a domain name holder in less time than it takes for statements of case to be exchanged in England and Wales. The fee that the WIPO charges for resolving the dispute is US$1,500, which is less than many advocates would charge for settling particulars of claim. That sum is irrecoverable in domain name dispute resolution proceedings, but it will often be no more or even less than the difference between the costs that a successful claimant might spend on launching an interim injunction application and the amount that he or she might recover on a summary assessment.
Domain name dispute resolution will be even faster under a scheme announced yesterday by the WIPO (see Updated WIPO UDRP Fee Schedule and NEW Services). Under that scheme, decisions can be delivered within a month of filing the complaint. Claims under the scheme will be managed by a dedicated team of WIPO employees and decided by a special roster of panellists. There is an additional cost. Complainants will be charged US$4,000 instead of US$1,500 for the current service. US$3,000 of that money will go to the panellist, and the rest to the WIPO for administration
This scheme will be suitable for generic top-level domain name disputes (domain names ending in ".com", ".net", ".org" and similar suffixes) and some country code domain name disputes that use the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, where parties choose their dispute to be resolved by a single panellist. It would appear to include ".wales" and ".cymru" domain name disputes (see Jane Lambert Welsh Top Level Domain Names 12 Apr 2019 NIPC Cymru and Eich cartref chi. Eich Cymru chi. Eich Parth chi and Your Wales. Your Home. Your Domain). Disputes where a respondent opts for a three-member panel would fall outside the scheme.
Readers who wish to learn more about the scheme should read a helpful article by A Faster Option for Resolving Domain Name Disputes Under the UDRP 9 March 2026, Gigalaw. Mr Isenberg is a Georgia lawyer who sits on the WIPO domain name dispute resolution panel and has vast experience in domain name dispute resolution. For more basic information on domain name dispute resolution, see my resource page on the topic.
Anyone wishing to discuss this topic may call me on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 during normal UK office hours or send me a message through my contact page.
