Domain Registration Related News
Domain Name Dispute Cases Increased by 6.6% in
2004
February 2005
In its February 18, 2005 press release, WIPO
has reported filing an average of 3.4 UDRP and
UDRP-based cases per calendar day in 2004,
bringing the total number of cases received in
2004 to 1,179€”an increase of 79 cases (or 6.6%) as
compared to 2003. Also mentioned in the report is
a 37 percent increase in ccTLDs cases over the
previous year.
Listed below are a number of additional facts and
figures reported by WIPO for 2004:
€¢ Of the total of 7,010 UDRP and UDRP-based cases
the Center has received, 6,783 (96.76%) have been
resolved. In the 5,414 decisions they have
rendered, WIPO panels have found for the
complainant in 4,512 (83.3%) cases. The remainder
of the resolved cases were settled by the parties.
€¢ WIPO€™s UDRP and UDRP-based cases filed since
1999 have by now covered over 12,500 separate
domain names.
€¢ In addition to famous brands (recent WIPO cases
include the domain names €˜weathernetwork.com€™, €˜yahoojobs.com€™,
€˜aventisdirect.com€™, €˜3mworldwide.com€™, and
€˜bmw1.com€™), celebrities continue to be targeted
by cybersquatters. Often decisions favoring
celebrities were based on common law rights in
their names rather than on a registered trademark.
In 2004, the Center received cases relating to
movies, authors and books (JK Rowling, the Fast
and the Furious), pop stars (Eminem, Pat Benetar,
and Lloyd Banks), television shows (Fat Actress),
and movie personalities (Spike Lee, Robert Downey
Jr.). Sports figures (Freddy Adu and Ronaldhino)
and sporting events (Orange Bowl) were also the
target of cybersquatters.
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