We are proud to announce that the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO Center) and the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) have successfully completed their collaborative project reviewing the UDRP.
You can read the Final Report here.
This initiative was driven by a robust international process that included nearly a dozen consultations with industry leaders, legal experts, and stakeholders. The goal was to identify best practices, establish areas of consensus, and pinpoint potential improvements to the policy.
Coordinated by Zak Muscovitch, General Counsel to the ICA and Brian Beckham, WIPO, the project team, comprising experts and UDRP stakeholders from around the world, includes: lead faculty for the WIPO Advanced Workshop on Domain Name Dispute Resolution: David Bernstein and Andrew Lothian; ICANN Board member and liaison: Sarah Deutsch; party counsel: Paul Keating, Jane Seager, Jason Schaeffer, and Marc Trachtenberg; UDRP panelists: Shwetasree Majumder, Francine Tan, Adam Taylor, Kiyoshi Tsuru, Nicholas Smith, Jeremy Speres, and Deanna Wong Mai Man; domain name registrant representative: Nat Cohen; and, brand owner representative: Mette Andersen.
Following a period of public comment on the draft, the Final Report is now being shared, including submission to ICANN for consideration in any future UDRP review undertaken by its Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO).
By clearly identifying where stakeholder agreement and disagreement lie, this independent report is expected to significantly benefit and streamline ICANN’s official review process, ensuring any future changes are well-informed and reflective of community input.
The UDRP is the cornerstone for resolving domain name disputes globally, and its effectiveness relies on continuous review and refinement. We thank everyone involved.
You can access the complete WIPO/ICA UDRP Review Final Report and supporting documents on WIPO’s website.