Cybersquatting cases reach record

SWITZERLAND: The number of cases of alleged cybersquatting handled by the World Intellectual Property Organisation jumped five percent to reach a record 2,884 last year, the head of the UN agency said Thursday.

"The areas where cybersquatting is most prevalent, judging by the cases, are retail, fashion and banking and finance," said WIPO director general Francis Gurry.

"The simple explanation is the increased use of the Internet, which increases the potential infringers," he told reporters.

Cybersquatting refers mainly to the practice of registering, trafficking in, or using an Internet domain name with the intention of profiting from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else.

Since 2000, WIPO has provided an arbitration service which enables complainants who dispute the right to domain names to avoid potentially costly litigation, which can also be complicated when the parties reside in different countries.

WIPO's arbitrators are empowered to award complainants a domain name if they find that the accused party has registered it abusively, for example to draw Internet traffic. "We are very proud of the fact that this is a very international procedure. It caters for the international character of the Internet," Gurry said.

The United States topped the table for both complainants, with 798 cases, and accused parties, with 784.

AFP