ABSTRACT

This chapter presents an overview of the performance of Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) providers. The management of names and addresses on the main root server is in hands of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN designed a series of general rules to regulate dispute resolution procedures, leaving the private providers to add their own complementary rules to the system. It authorized a number of private third party institutions to evaluate disputes among Internet users regarding rights over domain names. New domain names assigned on the Internet is protected by trademark and property rights laws in different countries. ICANN authorized two providers, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Arbitration Forum (NAF). WIPO is the organization that has the most diverse group of panelists from both developed and less developed countries. Consumers and users can exert influence over ICANN's decisions when compared to the totally private system that regulates privacy in e-commerce.