By Alexandra Nicholson, Anuj C. Desai, Jeffrey H. Blum And Matthew A. Leish
Internet domain names are valuable property, so it is unsurprising that disputes about them are becoming more common. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"), the nonprofit organization currently overseeing many Internet management functions, has created a new streamlined procedure for resolving disputes about domain names within the .com, .net and .org top-level domains. The procedure is embodied in the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ("UDRP" or "Policy"), which became effective on December 1, 1999.
The UDRP provides an inexpensive and efficient way to resolve domain-name disputes. Generally, decisions are made within five weeks of the filing of a complaint. The arbitration panel's fees are relatively modest - from $750 to $3,750, depending upon the number of domain names in dispute and the number of arbitrators the complainant requests - and because each side
