WIPO takes action on cybersquatting
18 February 2005
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is taking continued action against cybersquatting, the process by which unscrupulous parties register high-profile web domains with a view to capitalising on known names, trademarks and individuals.
Over 2004 the organisation received 1,170 separate cases of abusive domain registration, representing an increase of 6.6 per cent on previous figures. In total, WIPO's Arbitration and Mediation Centre has handled over 7,000 disputes, involving parties from 124 countries and covering over 12,500 domain names, since the inception of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) in December 1999.
Reports state that the Centre continues to receive some three new cybersquatting cases daily, and cases are usually (80 per cent of the time) ruled in favour of the aggrieved party.
Many UDRP decisions involve high-profile, high-value brands, most of which concern international domains, with .com representing over 80 per cent of names involved. Last year, 70 cases involved country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs), a 37 per cent increase on 2003. On this note disputes have come from 124 different countries to date, and proceedings have been managed in 12 different languages, underlining the international nature of the resolution service.
In addition the UDRP continues to prove a popular service among businesses across a range of industries, including entertainment groups, pharmaceutical companies and IT firms.
Francis Gurry, deputy director general of WIPO who oversees the work of the Centre, states that "the UDRP has been highly successful in creating a deterrent effect as well as in providing trademark owners with an effective international remedy against cybersquatting".
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