Most discussion about rights protection mechanisms under the new gTLD programme has focused on the mandatory measures, but several individual registries are providing their own forms of defence, as TB&I finds out.
The battle to protect trademarks under the new generic top-level domain (gTLD) programme has been long and arduous. IP owners, led by a fear of mass cybersquatting under a vastly increased domain space, have fought tirelessly for a set of suitable rights protection mechanisms (RPMs).
As it stands, rights owners will use a Trademark Clearinghouse—not an RPM itself but a centralised trademark database that provides access to sunrise and trademark claims periods, which assist IP owners with brand protection. There are two new dispute resolution mechanisms, one dealing with clear cut cases of cybersquatting and the other with registry misconduct.
The RPM debate has focused mainly on these mandatory measures, seen as the bare minimum for protecting rights. Fewer eyes have gazed down on the defensive systems that individual applicants, especially those planning to operate open registries—those open to anyone—have created.
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gTLDs, protection, registries, RPMs, Donuts, Minds + Machines
