ccTLDs that have adopted the UDRP
The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) is certainly the most frequently used tool to combat cybersquatting — but, it is not always an option.
Many countries have adopted their own domain name dispute policies — or none at all — in lieu of the UDRP. Since the launch of the WIPO ccTLD Program in 2000, WIPO has provided advice to many ccTLDs with a view to establishing registration conditions and dispute resolution procedures that conform with international standards of intellectual property protection while taking into account the particular circumstances and needs of the individual ccTLD. WIPO also provides a variety of information resources for users who wish to register ccTLD domain names or file disputes in relation to such names.
Below is a list of the 42 countries that (according to WIPO and as of the date of this blog post) have adopted the UDRP.
Implications for Trademark Owners
As a result, a trademark owner can file a UDRP complaint with any of the UDRP service providers for any domain name that includes any of the ccTLDs listed below. And, as WIPO notes, “[w]here a ccTLD has adopted the UDRP, disputes in those ccTLDs may be combined in one single UDRP proceeding alongside domain names in generic top level domains (gTLDs),” such as .com or any of the new gTLDs.
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