WIPO Domain Name Dispute Resolution Services for ccTLD Operators

The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center collaborates with a growing number of country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) registry operators. Having launched the WIPO ccTLD Program in 2000, the WIPO Center now provides policy and operational advice and case administration services for over 75 ccTLDs.

To share this growing WIPO experience and help meet increasing member states ccTLD operator demand, on the margins of the 2019 WIPO Assemblies the WIPO Center organized the session “WIPO ccTLD Program for Member States and Related ccTLD Operators”.

The session also introduced the new publication “Guide to WIPO’s services for country code top-level domain registries”. Based on WIPO case and policy experience, the Guide presents ccTLD registry operators and national authorities with information on how to resolve third-party domain name disputes in a cost- and time-saving manner.

“Domain name registrations in ccTLDs serve as important business identifiers, and their number continues to increase”, said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “When trademark-related disputes arise, ccTLD operators often prefer to outsource case administration to WIPO, at no cost to the registry, for neutral and independent decision-making”.

The WIPO Center has so far administered over 5,100 ccTLD cases, usually representing some 15% of its annual total caseload, which also covers all international domains. Since the last meeting of the WIPO Assemblies in 2018, services were added for .AI (Anguilla), .CN and .中国 (China), .GE (Georgia), .PY (Paraguay), and .UA (Ukraine).

In 2018, the WIPO Center significantly overhauled and expanded its online party resources for ccTLD disputes. The dedicated resource homepage includes a new WIPO reference tool for case parties, which includes relevant information for each ccTLD, notably the registration agreement, dispute policy and procedural rules, registry information, model pleadings, and eligibility criteria.