Cybersquatting and Domain Name Disputes on the rise during the COVID pandemic

It seems that during the Covid pandemic, the number of incidents of cybersquatting has gone up, with an 11% increase in reported cases. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has just registered its 50,000th case which has gone to it for arbitration since it launched its Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) in 1999. They have the authority to examine issues of bad faith and to rule on ownership of a particular domain name, including the .com suffix, as well as numerous national domain suffixes.

If required, they can order the transfer of ownership of a domain name to a registered trade mark rights holder in instances where the domain has been registered in bad faith to deceive consumers, is being used to spread misinformation or engage in illegal or fraudulent activities.

If you'd like to discuss how Trade Mark Registration can help protect your brand online, what actions you can take to mitigate the risks of being a victim of cybersquatting, or if you'd like advice on any potential domain name dispute, then please get in touch with our team.

The full article from WIPO can be found here

Paul Harrison, Senior European Patent Attorney for ip21 Ltd