Between December 2001 and September 2002 the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center processed a total of 338 cases under the Start-Up Trademark Opposition Policy for .biz (STOP), which was adopted by NeuLevel, the Registry operator for .biz, and approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The .biz STOP Report provides a resume of the Center's case administration activity under this policy, with two principal purposes.
The first purpose is to report on the functionality of one of the options for providing trademark protection during the introductory phase of a new gTLD. It is recalled that one of ICANN's selection criteria for new gTLDs was their potential for providing "proof of concept" concerning possible additions to the domain name system and the options for implementing them, including appropriate intellectual property protection. The introduction of any further gTLDs will require careful examination of prior experience with the various options.
The second purpose of this Report is to provide a summary of decision trends under STOP that may be of comparative interest for decisions under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).
The Center has published a similar Report on its case administration under the Afilias Sunrise Registration Challenge Policy for .info.