WIPO Opens Interim Report on Domain Names to Public Comment

Geneva, April 12, 2001
Press Releases PR/2001/263

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is seeking extensive public comment on an interim report which will culminate in a series of recommendations that aim to prevent abusive registration of domain names on the Internet. The interim report (the third and final request for comments in this process) is available at: http://wipo2.wipo.int/process2/rfc/rfc3/

The interim report will also serve as the basis of discussions at a series of regional consultations during April-May 2001, which participants can attend free of charge, to discuss these policy issues. The meetings will be held as follows:

At the request of its member states, WIPO initiated last July the Second WIPO Internet Domain Name Process to study the abuse of certain identifiers in the Internet domain name system. The first such WIPO Process (1998-1999) made recommendations targeting the abusive registration of domain names that infringe trademarks or service marks - known as "cybersquatting". The Second WIPO Process examines the bad faith, abusive, misleading, or unfair use of:

• personal names;
• International Nonproprietary Names (INNs) for pharmaceutical substances;
• names of international intergovernmental organizations;
• geographical indications, indications of source and geographical terms; and
• trade names.

The comments received on this interim report will, together with the discussions at the regional consultations, form the basis of recommendations expected to be published in WIPO's final report in mid-2001. The final report will be submitted to WIPO's member states and provided to the Internet community, including the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

WIPO Assistant Director General, Mr. Francis Gurry, who oversees WIPO's work relating to electronic commerce, urged the broadest possible participation in this process. "We are trying to conduct a transparent process where all opinions within the Internet community are taken into account. This is the last chance for contributions to be made before final recommendations are issued. We look forward to a fruitful exchange of opinions," Mr. Gurry said.

Persons wishing to comment on the interim report can do so by writing to WIPO, submitting their comments online at http://wipo2.wipo.int/process2/rfc/index.html, or by email to process.mail@wipo.int, or by attending the regional consultations and joining in the open discussions.

More information about the Second WIPO Process and these regional consultations is available at http://wipo2.wipo.int.

For more information please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at +4122-3388161 or +4122-3389547 or publicinf@wipo.int.