Vint Cerf at ICANN by Veni (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/3KWko9

Internet Governance

Ontario Court of Appeal Rules Domain Names Are Property

The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that domain names are property. The decision marks a shift in judicial thinking on the issue, which previously treated domain names as licenses.

August 10, 2011 — Comments are Disabled — News

Dot-ca Domain Dispute Rules Changes Coming This Month

Domain name disputes emerged as one of the first Internet legal issues in the mid-1990s as speculators recognized the value of domain names and the potential to resell them to the highest bidder. The growth of “cybersquatting” led to several unsuccessful attempts to establish a dispute resolution system. Finally, in 1999, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the agency responsible for administering the domain name system, created the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), which has since resolved tens of thousands of disputed domains.

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which manages the dot-ca domain, adopted its own dispute resolution policy, the CIRA Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (CDRP) in 2002. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that using the UDRP as a model, CIRA developed a Canadian version that borrows much of its structure and content from the international approach, yet reflects Canadian law and policy.

August 9, 2011 — 5 comments — Columns

Dot-ca Domain Dispute Rules Changes Coming This Month

Appeared in the Toronto Star on August 7, 2011 as New rules for domain disputes Domain name disputes emerged as one of the first Internet legal issues in the mid-1990s as speculators recognized the value of domain names and the potential to resell them to the highest bidder. The growth […]

August 9, 2011 — Comments are Disabled — Columns Archive

CIRA Implements Revised Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy Rules

CIRA has announced changes to the dot-ca domain name dispute resolution policy. The changes expand the scope of bad faith, but also eliminate the need for use for generic domain names. The changes take effect on August 22nd.

July 22, 2011 — 5 comments — News

ICANN Votes To Expand Generic Top-Level Domains

ICANN has voted to massively increase the number of generic top-level domains with hundreds of new extensions on the horizon. New gTLD applications will be accepted starting next January.

June 20, 2011 — Comments are Disabled — News