To conduct UDRP and ccTLD cases, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center has established a Roster of Panelists who have agreed to serve on WIPO Domain Name Administrative Panels. WIPO panelists come from all regions of the world and are relied on for their impartiality, sound judgement, and experience as decision-makers, as well as their expertise with trademarks and domain names.
The WIPO Center’s panel appointment considerations are informed by a range of legally and ethically responsible factors, including: panel language capability, party and panel nationality, geographic diversity, gender balance, panel availability, and panel experience.
Before appointing a panelist, in each case the WIPO Center confirms with each prospective panelist whether there are any facts or circumstances which might reasonably call into question that prospective panelist’s independence. In this respect, accepted norms such as the International Bar Association (IBA) Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration are taken into account. WIPO requires all prospective panelists to complete and submit a Statement of Acceptance and Declaration of Impartiality and Independence.
The WIPO Center also considers the continuing education of panelists in terms of case practice and jurisprudence to be of utmost importance to ensure WIPO panelists maintain their subject matter expertise in the continually evolving environments of trademark and domain name disputes. WIPO panelists are expected to be proactive in making sure they are up-to-date with domain name dispute resolution jurisprudence. WIPO panelists maintain such subject matter expertise e.g., by attending events such as WIPO Panelists Meetings or the WIPO Advanced Workshop on Domain Name Dispute Resolution, to engage in discussions on the legal trends and case developments amongst colleagues and leading experts.