IE ccTLD to Offer New Dispute Resolution Service

IEDR, which runs the .ie country code registry, has announced the upcoming launch of a new alternate dispute resolution service. The new service should be available from July of this year onwards.

So what is it?

It’s designed to be a mechanism to resolve disputes surrounding .ie domain names without going to a full WIPO dispute.

With the liberalisation of .ie domains last year many of the restrictions, checks and other rules were removed. Logically that could mean that there would be an increase in disputes surrounding domain registrations. However the current ieDRP, which is a slightly modified version of the UDRP, is quite costly with pricing starting at €1500 for a complaint.

Pricing for the new service has not been released as yet, though it will be significantly cheaper than the current process, as mentioned above.

Commenting on the upcoming launch IEDR’s CEO David Curtin said:

“It’s important that Irish citizens, businesses and organisations have access to a dispute resolution process that is transparent, affordable and straightforward,” said Mr Curtin.
“IE Domain Registry’s new, alternative dispute resolution process provides those qualities, and we believe it will help to solve issues in a timely and fair manner. Ultimately, however, we believe that the number of complaints will be low, as registrants will have already met the criteria for .ie domain registration. The burden of proof will be on the complainant, and this will help to reduce the number of spurious or malicious claims.
“Brand owners and holders of intellectual property rights will also be able to continue using the existing, formal dispute resolution process, which is independently operated by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).”

The new dispute resolution service will be managed on behalf of IEDR by Net Neutrals.

More details are available on the IEDR’s site.

By Michele Neylon

Michele is founder and managing director of Irish domain registrar and hosting company Blacknight. Michele has been deeply involved in domain and internet policy discussions for more than a decade. He also co-hosts the Technology.ie podcast.

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