Cybersquatters received a warning signal this week when the first international dispute settlement mechanism aimed at curbing the abuse of trademarks on the Internet was launched. The first dispute under the new Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy applicable to the top-level domains (.com, .net and .org) was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center on December 2, 1999, a day after the new rules took effect.
The Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy was adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on August 26, 1999. The policy went into effect on December 1, 1999 for all accredited registrars, with the exception of America On-line, the Name IT Corp. and Network Solutions, Inc., which will have to comply as of January 3, 2000.
