Nic News ..

Nominet tackles domain name dispute

Proposals from UK registrar Nominet could mean that trademark owners will no longer be guaranteed protection against cybersquatting involving the .uk domain name. Nominet is proposing a free 14-day mediation period, rising to a decision by an independent legal expert for a fee of up to £1,000 payable by the complainant. It argues that current arbitration policy by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) and UDRP (Universal Dispute Resolution Policy) is biased in favour of registered trademark holders, and doesn't address the concerns of small- to medium-sized firms that don't own their trademarks. Nominet intends to substantiate whether or not a registration has been made in bad faith.

TLD News ..

.info status update

Currently, Afilias, of which NetNames is a part, is in the process of completing its contract negotiations with ICANN. Once ICANN has approved the contract it will make recommendations to the US Department of Commerce, who will in turn need to approve the contract and enter .info into the root. As this is the first attempt at introducing new TLDs to the market, there is no precedent for timing in this process. ICANN has been diligent in taking the steps
necessary to ensure that the roll-out of these new TLDs, representative of market demand for new and diverse structure to the Internet, happens in the best possible manner. Afilias is optimistic as it nears completion of its contract, that .info will be available in the near term, perhaps as early as the summer.

Dot-EU Latest

Another public meeting was held last week in Brussels to discuss the progress of the .eu top-level domain. There were approximately 60 participants, including representatives from the European Commission and ICANN.

A discussion took place on the procedure for delegating a registry to administer the .eu TLD. It was noted that a public call would be necessary, in order to provide an open and transparent process. Questions were also raised on what would be considered public policy to be decided by the Commission and what would be left for the Registry. It was noted that "as the draft Regulation stands, public policy is defined as anti-cybersquatting and dispute resolution measures, leaving any other matters to the Registry, in consultation with the Commission. The Regulation however is still in draft and discussions in Council and Parliament could give rise to some changes."

It was confirmed that companies with a European Union presence would qualify for a .eu domain name. It was proposed that the next meeting should be held at the end of April, by which time further progress should have been made. No official dates for release were suggested.

Industry Update ..

New Zealand takes online vote on new domain

Later this year, New Zealanders will have the opportunity to vote on the introduction on a new restricted second-level domain - .bank.nz. This follows a request to ISOCNZ (Internet Society of New Zealand) by the country's banking sector to consider the suffix. The society has decided that New Zealand Internet users will vote online between March 12 - 26. The web based voting system will take place through election.com and New Zealanders abroad will also be permitted to take part.

Scotsman wins domain name dispute

A Scottish businessman has been allowed to keep the domain name he registered, yourmove.com for chess enthusiasts, following a case this week. WIPO judged that the name had been registered in good faith, despite multinational insurance giant, CGNU Insurance, arguing that the name was rightfully theirs, given that Right Move is the name of the firm's estate agency business. The company already owns yourmove.co.uk and your-move.co.uk and said after the verdict that it had simply been defending its brand identity and rejected any accusations of bullying tactics.

Fact of the Week..

Unsure of which country has the .cx domain suffix? Want to know which domain ending is used by Mongolia? Click here for a comprehensive list of the world's domains.

Tip of the Week..

March 21-23, 2001 sees the ITMA (Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys) international meeting taking place at Hotel Inter-Continental in London. Items on the agenda will include a look at the UK trademarks registry and how to create a well known brand. NetNames will be showcasing its new suite of products at the show. Please go to www.itma.org.uk for registration details.

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