Balancing the odds: an evaluation of the .IN domain name dispute resolution policy

01-12-2011

Lucy Rana and Rishu Srivastava

With the inception, advent and rapid globalisation of the Internet, a revolutionary change has taken place in the field of communications. Lucy Rana and Rishu Srivastava look at domain name disputes.

The Internet has become a cornerstone of every establishment, whether commercial organisations, government bodies or institutions.

It is used for banking, research, education and entertainment. The profound use of internet in e-commerce and e-communication has also raised concerns in the realm of intellectual property. Issues of cybersquatting and domain name hijacking have become bones of contention among companies which have invested significant amount of money and time in their marks only to realise that their names and trademarks have been taken up by e-pirates.

As far as proceedings for domain name disputes are concerned, there are jurisdictional difficulties, because the Internet is a global medium. A proceeding will have to be initiated in every country where a country code top level domain (ccTLD) is registered.


.IN, domain names, INDRP, dispute resolution, cybersquatting, bad faith

WIPR