Using CDRP Proceedings To Fight Cybersquatting And Cyberpiracy!

This month's entry focuses on a third way to protect your brand from cybersquatting and cyberpiracy which is by way of CPRP proceedings. These proceedings are available to Canadians and the owners of registered Canadian trademarks to resolve disputes concerning .ca domain names.

While the UDRP has been adopted by all accredited domain name registers for the gTLDs it has not been adopted by all managers of ccTLDs. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has developed and adopted its own domain name dispute resolution policy (CDRP) and rules. While the CDRP appears to be have been modeled after the UDRP policy there are significant differences between the two. For example, the complainant must satisfy the Canadian presence requirements, or the proceedings must relate to a trademark registered in Canada.