This guide has been produced in order to give consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly those in developing countries, an introduction to disputes over domain names on the Internet. Domain names are the exclusive addresses used on the Internet to host services such as email and websites such as example.com. As businesses and consumers move online in greater numbers, they have a need to be informed of their rights and responsibilities in this new space in plain language. The Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy, or UDRP, is a policy that has been developed with input from governments, international institutions, businesses, and consumers to address the conflict between one kind of intellectual property right – trademarks – and domain names (example.com). The UDRP is a unique answer to a unique problem: While the UDRP shares many similarities with traditional legal disputes, it also has many novel features that are important to fully grasp if you are moving your business online or creating your own website.
Photo © Emrah Turudu 2007