Uniform
Domain Name
Dispute Resolution Policy
Policy As Approved by ICANN on October 24, 1999
1.
Policy
2. The Rules
3. Approved Providers
The
Policy
The policy is between
the registrar and its customer (the domain-name holder or registrant).
Thus, the policy uses "we" and "our"
to refer to the registrar and it uses "you" and "your" to refer
to the domain-name holder.
1. Purpose. This Uniform Domain Name
Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy") has been adopted by
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"),
is incorporated by reference into your InnerWise, Inc., d/b/a
OrderYourDomains.com Registration Agreement, and sets forth
the terms and conditions in connection with a dispute between
you and any party other than us (the registrar) over the registration
and use of an Internet domain name registered by you.
Proceedings under Paragraph 4 of this Policy will be conducted
according to the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution
Policy (the "Rules of Procedure"), which are available at www.OrderYourDomains.com/rulesofprocedure.htm,
and the selected administrative-dispute-resolution service provider's
supplemental rules.
2. Your Representations.
By applying to register a domain name, or by asking us
to maintain or renew a domain name registration, you hereby
represent and warrant to us that (a) the statements that you
made in your Registration Agreement are complete and accurate;
(b) to your knowledge, the registration of the domain name will
not infringe upon or otherwise violate the rights of any third
party; (c) you are not registering the domain name for an unlawful
purpose; and (d) you will not knowingly use the domain name
in violation of any applicable laws or regulations. It is your
responsibility to determine whether your domain name registration
infringes or violates someone else's rights.
3. Cancellations,
Transfers, and Changes. We will cancel, transfer or
otherwise make changes to domain name registrations under the
following circumstances:
a. subject to the provisions of Paragraph 8, our receipt
of written or appropriate electronic instructions from you or
your authorized agent to take such action;
b. our receipt of an order from a court or arbitral tribunal,
in each case of competent jurisdiction, requiring such action;
and/or
c. our receipt of a decision of an Administrative Panel
requiring such action in any administrative proceeding to which
you were a party and which was conducted under this Policy or
a later version of this Policy adopted by ICANN. (See Paragraph
4(i) and (k) below.)
We may also cancel, transfer or otherwise make changes to a
domain name registration in accordance with the terms of your
Registration Agreement or other legal requirements.
4. Mandatory Administrative Proceeding.
This Paragraph sets forth the type of disputes for which you
are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding.
These proceedings will be conducted before one of the administrative-dispute-resolution
service providers listed below:
Providers
(each, a "Provider").
a. Applicable
Disputes. You are required to submit to a mandatory administrative
proceeding in the event that a third party (a "complainant")
asserts to the applicable Provider, in compliance with the Rules
of Procedure, that
(i) your domain name is identical or
confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which
the complainant has rights; and
(ii) you have no rights or legitimate
interests in respect of the domain name; and
(iii) your domain name has been registered
and is being used in bad faith.
In the administrative proceeding, the complainant must prove
that each of these three elements are present.
b. Evidence
of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. For the purposes of Paragraph
4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular but without
limitation, if found by the Panel to be present, shall be evidence
of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith:
(i) circumstances indicating that you have registered or you
have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling,
renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration
to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service
mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration
in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related
to the domain name; or
(ii) you have registered the domain
name in order to prevent the owner of the trademark or service
mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain name,
provided that you have engaged in a pattern of such conduct;
or
(iii) you have registered the domain
name primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of
a competitor; or
(iv) by using the domain name, you
have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain,
Internet users to your web site or other on-line location, by
creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant's mark
as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of
your web site or location or of a product or service on your
web site or location.
c. How to Demonstrate
Your Rights to and Legitimate Interests in the Domain Name in
Responding to a Complaint. When you receive a complaint, you
should refer to Paragraph 5 of the Rules of Procedure in determining
how your response should be prepared. Any of the following circumstances,
in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel
to be proved based on its evaluation of all evidence presented,
shall demonstrate your rights or legitimate interests to the
domain name for purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(ii):
(i) before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or
demonstrable preparations to use, the domain name or a name
corresponding to the domain name in connection with a bona fide
offering of goods or services; or
(ii) you (as an individual, business,
or other organization) have been commonly known by the domain
name, even if you have acquired no trademark or service mark
rights; or
(iii) you are making a legitimate noncommercial
or fair use of the domain name, without intent for commercial
gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademark
or service mark at issue.
d. Selection
of Provider. The complainant shall select the Provider from
among those approved by ICANN by submitting the complaint to
that Provider. The selected Provider will administer the proceeding,
except in cases of consolidation as described in Paragraph 4(f).
e. Initiation
of Proceeding and Process and Appointment of Administrative
Panel. The Rules of Procedure state the process for initiating
and conducting a proceeding and for appointing the panel that
will decide the dispute (the "Administrative Panel").
f. Consolidation.
In the event of multiple disputes between you and a complainant,
either you or the complainant may petition to consolidate the
disputes before a single Administrative Panel. This petition
shall be made to the first Administrative Panel appointed to
hear a pending dispute between the parties. This Administrative
Panel may consolidate before it any or all such disputes in
its sole discretion, provided that the disputes being consolidated
are governed by this Policy or a later version of this Policy
adopted by ICANN.
g. Fees. All
fees charged by a Provider in connection with any dispute before
an Administrative Panel pursuant to this Policy shall be paid
by the complainant, except in cases where you elect to expand
the Administrative Panel from one to three panelists as provided
in Paragraph 5(b)(iv) of the Rules of Procedure, in which case
all fees will be split evenly by you and the complainant.
h. Our Involvement
in Administrative Proceedings. We do not, and will not, participate
in the administration or conduct of any proceeding before an
Administrative Panel. In addition, we will not be liable as
a result of any decisions rendered by the Administrative Panel.
i. Remedies.
The remedies available to a complainant pursuant to any proceeding
before an Administrative Panel shall be limited to requiring
the cancellation of your domain name or the transfer of your
domain name registration to the complainant.
j. Notification
and Publication. The Provider shall notify us of any decision
made by an Administrative Panel with respect to a domain name
you have registered with us. All decisions under this Policy
will be published in full over the Internet, except when an
Administrative Panel determines in an exceptional case to redact
portions of its decision.
k. Availability
of Court Proceedings. The mandatory administrative proceeding
requirements set forth in Paragraph 4 shall not prevent either
you or the complainant from submitting the dispute to a court
of competent jurisdiction for independent resolution before
such mandatory administrative proceeding is commenced or after
such proceeding is concluded. If an Administrative Panel decides
that your domain name registration should be canceled or transferred,
we will wait ten (10) business days (as observed in the location
of our principal office) after we are informed by the applicable
Provider of the Administrative Panel's decision before implementing
that decision. We will then implement the decision unless we
have received from you during that ten (10) business day period
official documentation (such as a copy of a complaint, file-stamped
by the clerk of the court) that you have commenced a lawsuit
against the complainant in a jurisdiction to which the complainant
has submitted under Paragraph 3(b)(xiii) of the Rules of Procedure.
(In general, that jurisdiction is either the location of our
principal office or of your address as shown in our Whois database.
See Paragraphs 1 and 3(b)(xiii) of the Rules of Procedure for
details.) If we receive such documentation within the ten (10)
business day period, we will not implement the Administrative
Panel's decision, and we will take no further action, until
we receive (i) evidence satisfactory to us of a resolution between
the parties; (ii) evidence satisfactory to us that your lawsuit
has been dismissed or withdrawn; or (iii) a copy of an order
from such court dismissing your lawsuit or ordering that you
do not have the right to continue to use your domain name.
5. All Other Disputes and Litigation. All other
disputes between you and any party other than us regarding your
domain name registration that are not brought pursuant to the
mandatory administrative proceeding provisions of Paragraph
4 shall be resolved between you and such other party through
any court, arbitration or other proceeding that may be available.
6. Our Involvement in Disputes. We will not participate
in any way in any dispute between you and any party other than
us regarding the registration and use of your domain name. You
shall not name us as a party or otherwise include us in any
such proceeding. In the event that we are named as a party in
any such proceeding, we reserve the right to raise any and all
defenses deemed appropriate, and to take any other action necessary
to defend ourselves.
7. Maintaining the Status Quo. We will
not cancel, transfer, activate, deactivate, or otherwise change
the status of any domain name registration under this Policy
except as provided in Paragraph 3 above.
8. Transfers
During a Dispute.
a. Transfers
of a Domain Name to a New Holder. You may not transfer your
domain name registration to another holder (i) during a pending
administrative proceeding brought pursuant to Paragraph 4 or
for a period of fifteen (15) business days (as observed in the
location of our principal place of business) after such proceeding
is concluded; or (ii) during a pending court proceeding or arbitration
commenced regarding your domain name unless the party to whom
the domain name registration is being transferred agrees, in
writing, to be bound by the decision of the court or arbitrator.
We reserve the right to cancel any transfer of a domain name
registration to another holder that is made in violation of
this subparagraph.
b. Changing
Registrars. You may not transfer your domain name registration
to another registrar during a pending administrative proceeding
brought pursuant to Paragraph 4 or for a period of fifteen (15)
business days (as observed in the location of our principal
place of business) after such proceeding is concluded. You may
transfer administration of your domain name registration to
another registrar during a pending court action or arbitration,
provided that the domain name you have registered with us shall
continue to be subject to the proceedings commenced against
you in accordance with the terms of this Policy. In the event
that you transfer a domain name registration to us during the
pendency of a court action or arbitration, such dispute shall
remain subject to the domain name dispute policy of the registrar
from which the domain name registration was transferred.
9. Policy Modifications.
We reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time with
the permission of ICANN. We will post our revised Policy at
www.OrderYourDomains.com
at least thirty (30) calendar days before it becomes effective.
Unless this Policy has already been invoked by the submission
of a complaint to a Provider, in which event the version of
the Policy in effect at the time it was invoked will apply to
you until the dispute is over, all such changes will be binding
upon you with respect to any domain name registration dispute,
whether the dispute arose before, on or after the effective
date of our change. In the event that you object to a change
in this Policy, your sole remedy is to cancel your domain name
registration with us, provided that you will not be entitled
to a refund of any fees you paid to us. The revised Policy will
apply to you until you cancel your domain name registration.
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The
Rules
Rules for Uniform
Domain Name
Dispute Resolution Policy
(As Approved by ICANN on October 24, 1999)
Administrative proceedings
for the resolution of disputes under the Uniform Dispute Resolution
Policy adopted by ICANN shall be governed by these Rules and
also the Supplemental Rules of the Provider administering the
proceedings, as posted on its web site.
1. Definitions
In these Rules:
Complainant
means the party initiating a complaint concerning a domain-name
registration.
ICANN refers to the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers.
Mutual Jurisdiction means a court jurisdiction at the
location of either (a) the principal office of the Registrar
(provided the domain-name holder has submitted in its Registration
Agreement to that jurisdiction for court adjudication of disputes
concerning or arising from the use of the domain name) or (b)
the domain-name holder's address as shown for the registration
of the domain name in Registrar's Whois database at the time
the complaint is submitted to the Provider.
Panel means an administrative panel appointed by a Provider
to decide a complaint concerning a domain-name registration.
Panelist means an individual appointed by a Provider
to be a member of a Panel.
Party means a Complainant or a Respondent.
Policy means the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution
Policy that is incorporated by reference and made a part of
the Registration Agreement.
Provider means a dispute-resolution service provider
approved by ICANN. A list of such Providers appears at www.icann.org/udrp/approved-providers.htm.
Registrar means the entity with which the Respondent
has registered a domain name that is the subject of a complaint.
Registration Agreement means the agreement between a
Registrar and a domain-name holder.
Respondent means the holder of a domain-name registration
against which a complaint is initiated.
Reverse Domain Name Hijacking means using the Policy
in bad faith to attempt to deprive a registered domain-name
holder of a domain name.
Supplemental Rules means the rules adopted by the Provider
administering a proceeding to supplement these Rules. Supplemental
Rules shall not be inconsistent with the Policy or these Rules
and shall cover such topics as fees, word and page limits and
guidelines, the means for communicating with the Provider and
the Panel, and the form of cover sheets.
2. Communications
(a) When forwarding a complaint to the Respondent, it
shall be the Provider's responsibility to employ reasonably
available means calculated to achieve actual notice to Respondent.
Achieving actual notice, or employing the following measures
to do so, shall discharge this responsibility:
(i) sending the complaint
to all postal-mail and facsimile addresses (A) shown in the
domain name's registration data in Registrar's Whois database
for the registered domain-name holder, the technical contact,
and the administrative contact and (B) supplied by Registrar
to the Provider for the registration's billing contact; and
(ii) sending the complaint in electronic form (including annexes
to the extent available in that form) by e-mail to:
(A) the e-mail addresses for those technical, administrative,
and billing contacts;
(B) postmaster@<the contested domain name>; and
(C) if the domain name (or "www." followed by the
domain name) resolves to an active web page (other than a generic
page the Provider concludes is maintained by a registrar or
ISP for parking domain-names registered by multiple domain-name
holders), any e-mail address shown or e-mail links on that web
page; and
(iii) sending the complaint to any address the Respondent has
notified the Provider it prefers and, to the extent practicable,
to all other addresses provided to the Provider by Complainant
under Paragraph 3(b)(v).
(b) Except
as provided in Paragraph 2(a), any written communication to
Complainant or Respondent provided for under these Rules shall
be made by the preferred means stated by the Complainant or
Respondent, respectively (see Paragraphs 3(b)(iii) and 5(b)(iii)),
or in the absence of such specification
(i) by telecopy or
facsimile transmission, with a confirmation of transmission;
or
(ii) by postal or courier service, postage pre-paid and return
receipt requested; or
(iii) electronically via the Internet, provided a record of
its transmission is available.
(c) Any communication
to the Provider or the Panel shall be made by the means and
in the manner (including number of copies) stated in the Provider's
Supplemental Rules.
(d) Communications shall be made in the language prescribed
in Paragraph 11. E-mail communications should, if practicable,
be sent in plaintext.
(e) Either Party may update its contact details by notifying
the Provider and the Registrar.
(f) Except as otherwise provided in these Rules, or
decided by a Panel, all communications provided for under these
Rules shall be deemed to have been made:
(i) if delivered by
telecopy or facsimile transmission, on the date shown on the
confirmation of transmission; or
(ii) if by postal or courier service, on the date marked on
the receipt; or
(iii) if via the Internet, on the date that the communication
was transmitted, provided that the date of transmission is verifiable.
(g) Except
as otherwise provided in these Rules, all time periods calculated
under these Rules to begin when a communication is made shall
begin to run on the earliest date that the communication is
deemed to have been made in accordance with Paragraph 2(f).
(h) Any communication by
(i) a Panel to any
Party shall be copied to the Provider and to the other Party;
(ii) the Provider to any Party shall be copied to the other
Party; and
(iii) a Party shall be copied to the other Party, the Panel
and the Provider, as the case may be.
(i) It shall
be the responsibility of the sender to retain records of the
fact and circumstances of sending, which shall be available
for inspection by affected parties and for reporting purposes.
(j) In the event a Party sending a communication receives
notification of non-delivery of the communication, the Party
shall promptly notify the Panel (or, if no Panel is yet appointed,
the Provider) of the circumstances of the notification. Further
proceedings concerning the communication and any response shall
be as directed by the Panel (or the Provider).
3. The Complaint
(a) Any person or entity may initiate an administrative
proceeding by submitting a complaint in accordance with the
Policy and these Rules to any Provider approved by ICANN. (Due
to capacity constraints or for other reasons, a Provider's ability
to accept complaints may be suspended at times. In that event,
the Provider shall refuse the submission. The person or entity
may submit the complaint to another Provider.)
(b) The complaint shall be submitted in hard copy and
(except to the extent not available for annexes) in electronic
form and shall:
(i) Request that the
complaint be submitted for decision in accordance with the Policy
and these Rules;
(ii) Provide the name, postal and e-mail addresses, and the
telephone and telefax numbers of the Complainant and of any
representative authorized to act for the Complainant in the
administrative proceeding;
(iii) Specify a preferred method for communications directed
to the Complainant in the administrative proceeding (including
person to be contacted, medium, and address information) for
each of (A) electronic-only material and (B) material including
hard copy;
(iv) Designate whether Complainant elects to have the dispute
decided by a single-member or a three-member Panel and, in the
event Complainant elects a three-member Panel, provide the names
and contact details of three candidates to serve as one of the
Panelists (these candidates may be drawn from any ICANN-approved
Provider's list of panelists);
(v) Provide the name of the Respondent (domain-name holder)
and all information (including any postal and e-mail addresses
and telephone and telefax numbers) known to Complainant regarding
how to contact Respondent or any representative of Respondent,
including contact information based on pre-complaint dealings,
in sufficient detail to allow the Provider to send the complaint
as described in Paragraph 2(a);
(vi) Specify the domain name(s) that is/are the subject of the
complaint;
(vii) Identify the Registrar(s) with whom the domain name(s)
is/are registered at the time the complaint is filed;
(viii) Specify the trademark(s) or service mark(s) on which
the complaint is based and, for each mark, describe the goods
or services, if any, with which the mark is used (Complainant
may also separately describe other goods and services with which
it intends, at the time the complaint is submitted, to use the
mark in the future.);
(ix) Describe, in accordance with the Policy, the grounds on
which the complaint is made including, in particular,
(1) the manner in which the domain name(s) is/are identical
or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which
the Complainant has rights; and
(2) why the Respondent (domain-name
holder) should be considered as having no rights or legitimate
interests in respect of the domain name(s) that is/are the subject
of the complaint; and
(3) why the domain name(s) should be
considered as having been registered and being used in bad faith
(The description should, for elements (2) and (3), discuss any
aspects of Paragraphs 4(b) and 4(c) of the Policy that are applicable.
The description shall comply with any word or page limit set
forth in the Provider's Supplemental Rules.);
(x) Specify, in accordance
with the Policy, the remedies sought;
(xi) Identify any other legal proceedings that have been commenced
or terminated in connection with or relating to any of the domain
name(s) that are the subject of the complaint;
(xii) State that a copy of the complaint, together with the
cover sheet as prescribed by the Provider's Supplemental Rules,
has been sent or transmitted to the Respondent (domain-name
holder), in accordance with Paragraph 2(b);
(xiii) State that Complainant will submit, with respect to any
challenges to a decision in the administrative proceeding canceling
or transferring the domain name, to the jurisdiction of the
courts in at least one specified Mutual Jurisdiction;
(xiv) Conclude with the following statement followed by the
signature of the Complainant or its authorized representative:
"Complainant agrees that its claims and remedies concerning
the registration of the domain name, the dispute, or the dispute's
resolution shall be solely against the domain-name holder and
waives all such claims and remedies against (a) the dispute-resolution
provider and panelists, except in the case of deliberate wrongdoing,
(b) the registrar, (c) the registry administrator, and (d) the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, as well
as their directors, officers, employees, and agents."
"Complainant certifies that the information contained in
this Complaint is to the best of Complainant's knowledge complete
and accurate, that this Complaint is not being presented for
any improper purpose, such as to harass, and that the assertions
in this Complaint are warranted under these Rules and under
applicable law, as it now exists or as it may be extended by
a good-faith and reasonable argument."; and
(xv) Annex any documentary or other evidence, including a copy
of the Policy applicable to the domain name(s) in dispute and
any trademark or service mark registration upon which the complaint
relies, together with a schedule indexing such evidence.
(c) The complaint
may relate to more than one domain name, provided that the domain
names are registered by the same domain-name holder.
4. Notification of Complaint
(a) The Provider shall review the complaint for administrative
compliance with the Policy and these Rules and, if in compliance,
shall forward the complaint (together with the explanatory cover
sheet prescribed by the Provider's Supplemental Rules) to the
Respondent, in the manner prescribed by Paragraph 2(a), within
three (3) calendar days following receipt of the fees to be
paid by the Complainant in accordance with Paragraph 19.
(b) If the Provider finds the complaint to be administratively
deficient, it shall promptly notify the Complainant and the
Respondent of the nature of the deficiencies identified. The
Complainant shall have five (5) calendar days within which to
correct any such deficiencies, after which the administrative
proceeding will be deemed withdrawn without prejudice to submission
of a different complaint by Complainant.
(c) The date of commencement of the administrative
proceeding shall be the date on which the Provider completes
its responsibilities under Paragraph 2(a) in connection with
forwarding the Complaint to the Respondent.
(d) The Provider shall immediately notify the Complainant,
the Respondent, the concerned Registrar(s), and ICANN of the
date of commencement of the administrative proceeding.
5. The Response
(a) Within twenty (20) days of the date of commencement
of the administrative proceeding the Respondent shall submit
a response to the Provider.
(b) The response shall be submitted in hard copy and
(except to the extent not available for annexes) in electronic
form and shall:
(i) Respond specifically
to the statements and allegations contained in the complaint
and include any and all bases for the Respondent (domain-name
holder) to retain registration and use of the disputed domain
name (This portion of the response shall comply with any word
or page limit set forth in the Provider's Supplemental Rules.);
(ii) Provide the name, postal and e-mail addresses, and the
telephone and telefax numbers of the Respondent (domain-name
holder) and of any representative authorized to act for the
Respondent in the administrative proceeding;
(iii) Specify a preferred method for communications directed
to the Respondent in the administrative proceeding (including
person to be contacted, medium, and address information) for
each of (A) electronic-only material and (B) material including
hard copy;
(iv) If Complainant has elected a single-member panel in the
Complaint (see Paragraph 3(b)(iv)), state whether Respondent
elects instead to have the dispute decided by a three-member
panel;
(v) If either Complainant or Respondent elects a three-member
Panel, provide the names and contact details of three candidates
to serve as one of the Panelists (these candidates may be drawn
from any ICANN-approved Provider's list of panelists);
(vi) Identify any other legal proceedings that have been commenced
or terminated in connection with or relating to any of the domain
name(s) that are the subject of the complaint;
(vii) State that a copy of the response has been sent or transmitted
to the Complainant, in accordance with Paragraph 2(b); and
(viii) Conclude with the following statement followed by the
signature of the Respondent or its authorized representative:
"Respondent certifies that the information contained in
this Response is to the best of Respondent's knowledge complete
and accurate, that this Response is not being presented for
any improper purpose, such as to harass, and that the assertions
in this Response are warranted under these Rules and under applicable
law, as it now exists or as it may be extended by a good-faith
and reasonable argument."; and
(ix) Annex any documentary or other evidence upon which the
Respondent relies, together with a schedule indexing such documents.
(c) If Complainant
has elected to have the dispute decided by a single-member Panel
and Respondent elects a three-member Panel, Respondent shall
be required to pay one-half of the applicable fee for a three-member
Panel as set forth in the Provider's Supplemental Rules. This
payment shall be made together with the submission of the response
to the Provider. In the event that the required payment is not
made, the dispute shall be decided by a single-member Panel.
(d) At the request of the Respondent, the Provider may,
in exceptional cases, extend the period of time for the filing
of the response. The period may also be extended by written
stipulation between the Parties, provided the stipulation is
approved by the Provider.
(e) If a Respondent does not submit a response, in the
absence of exceptional circumstances, the Panel shall decide
the dispute based upon the complaint.
6. Appointment of the Panel and Timing of Decision
(a) Each Provider shall maintain and publish a publicly
available list of panelists and their qualifications.
(b) If neither the Complainant nor the Respondent has
elected a three-member Panel (Paragraphs 3(b)(iv) and 5(b)(iv)),
the Provider shall appoint, within five (5) calendar days following
receipt of the response by the Provider, or the lapse of the
time period for the submission thereof, a single Panelist from
its list of panelists. The fees for a single-member Panel shall
be paid entirely by the Complainant.
(c) If either the Complainant or the Respondent elects
to have the dispute decided by a three-member Panel, the Provider
shall appoint three Panelists in accordance with the procedures
identified in Paragraph 6(e). The fees for a three-member Panel
shall be paid in their entirety by the Complainant, except where
the election for a three-member Panel was made by the Respondent,
in which case the applicable fees shall be shared equally between
the Parties.
(d) Unless it has already elected a three-member Panel,
the Complainant shall submit to the Provider, within five (5)
calendar days of communication of a response in which the Respondent
elects a three-member Panel, the names and contact details of
three candidates to serve as one of the Panelists. These candidates
may be drawn from any ICANN-approved Provider's list of panelists.
(e) In the event that either the Complainant or the
Respondent elects a three-member Panel, the Provider shall endeavor
to appoint one Panelist from the list of candidates provided
by each of the Complainant and the Respondent. In the event
the Provider is unable within five (5) calendar days to secure
the appointment of a Panelist on its customary terms from either
Party's list of candidates, the Provider shall make that appointment
from its list of panelists. The third Panelist shall be appointed
by the Provider from a list of five candidates submitted by
the Provider to the Parties, the Provider's selection from among
the five being made in a manner that reasonably balances the
preferences of both Parties, as they may specify to the Provider
within five (5) calendar days of the Provider's submission of
the five-candidate list to the Parties.
(f) Once the entire Panel is appointed, the Provider
shall notify the Parties of the Panelists appointed and the
date by which, absent exceptional circumstances, the Panel shall
forward its decision on the complaint to the Provider.
7. Impartiality and Independence
A Panelist shall be impartial and independent and shall have,
before accepting appointment, disclosed to the Provider any
circumstances giving rise to justifiable doubt as to the Panelist's
impartiality or independence. If, at any stage during the administrative
proceeding, new circumstances arise that could give rise to
justifiable doubt as to the impartiality or independence of
the Panelist, that Panelist shall promptly disclose such circumstances
to the Provider. In such event, the Provider shall have the
discretion to appoint a substitute Panelist.
8. Communication Between Parties and the Panel
No Party or anyone acting on its behalf may have any unilateral
communication with the Panel. All communications between a Party
and the Panel or the Provider shall be made to a case administrator
appointed by the Provider in the manner prescribed in the Provider's
Supplemental Rules.
9. Transmission of the File to the Panel
The Provider shall forward the file to the Panel as soon as
the Panelist is appointed in the case of a Panel consisting
of a single member, or as soon as the last Panelist is appointed
in the case of a three-member Panel.
10. General Powers of the Panel
(a) The Panel shall conduct the administrative proceeding
in such manner as it considers appropriate in accordance with
the Policy and these Rules.
(b) In all cases, the Panel shall ensure that the Parties
are treated with equality and that each Party is given a fair
opportunity to present its case.
(c) The Panel shall ensure that the administrative proceeding
takes place with due expedition. It may, at the request of a
Party or on its own motion, extend, in exceptional cases, a
period of time fixed by these Rules or by the Panel.
(d) The Panel shall determine the admissibility, relevance,
materiality and weight of the evidence.
(e) A Panel shall decide a request by a Party to consolidate
multiple domain name disputes in accordance with the Policy
and these Rules.
11. Language of Proceedings
(a) Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, or specified
otherwise in the Registration Agreement, the language of the
administrative proceeding shall be the language of the Registration
Agreement, subject to the authority of the Panel to determine
otherwise, having regard to the circumstances of the administrative
proceeding.
(b) The Panel may order that any documents submitted
in languages other than the language of the administrative proceeding
be accompanied by a translation in whole or in part into the
language of the administrative proceeding.
12. Further Statements
In addition to the complaint and the response, the Panel may
request, in its sole discretion, further statements or documents
from either of the Parties.
13. In-Person Hearings
There shall be no in-person hearings (including hearings by
teleconference, videoconference, and web conference), unless
the Panel determines, in its sole discretion and as an exceptional
matter,
that such a hearing is necessary for deciding the complaint.
14. Default
(a) In the event that a Party, in the absence of exceptional
circumstances, does not comply with any of the time periods
established by these Rules or the Panel, the Panel shall proceed
to a decision on the complaint.
(b) If a Party, in the absence of exceptional circumstances,
does not comply with any provision of, or requirement under,
these Rules or any request from the Panel, the Panel shall draw
such inferences therefrom as it considers appropriate.
15. Panel Decisions
(a) A Panel shall decide a complaint on the basis of
the statements and documents submitted and in accordance with
the Policy, these Rules and any rules and principles of law
that it deems applicable.
(b) In the absence of exceptional circumstances, the
Panel shall forward its decision on the complaint to the Provider
within fourteen (14) days of its appointment pursuant to Paragraph
6.
(c) In the case of a three-member Panel, the Panel's
decision shall be made by a majority.
(d) The Panel's decision shall be in writing, provide
the reasons on which it is based, indicate the date on which
it was rendered and identify the name(s) of the Panelist(s).
(e) Panel decisions and dissenting opinions shall normally
comply with the guidelines as to length set forth in the Provider's
Supplemental Rules. Any dissenting opinion shall accompany the
majority decision. If the Panel concludes that the dispute is
not within the scope of Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy, it shall
so state. If after considering the submissions the Panel finds
that the complaint was brought in bad faith, for example in
an attempt at Reverse Domain Name Hijacking or was brought primarily
to harass the domain-name holder, the Panel shall declare in
its decision that the complaint was brought in bad faith and
constitutes an abuse of the administrative proceeding.
16. Communication of Decision to Parties
(a) Within three (3) calendar days after receiving the
decision from the Panel, the Provider shall communicate the
full text of the decision to each Party, the concerned Registrar(s),
and ICANN. The concerned Registrar(s) shall immediately communicate
to each Party, the Provider, and ICANN the date for the implementation
of the decision in accordance with the Policy.
(b) Except if the Panel determines otherwise (see Paragraph
4(j) of the Policy), the Provider shall publish the full decision
and the date of its implementation on a publicly accessible
web site. In any event, the portion of any decision determining
a complaint to have been brought in bad faith (see Paragraph
15(e) of these Rules) shall be published.
17. Settlement or Other Grounds for Termination
(a) If, before the Panel's decision, the Parties agree
on a settlement, the Panel shall terminate the administrative
proceeding.
(b) If, before the Panel's decision is made, it becomes
unnecessary or impossible to continue the administrative proceeding
for any reason, the Panel shall terminate the administrative
proceeding, unless a Party raises justifiable grounds for objection
within a period of time to be determined by the Panel.
18. Effect of Court Proceedings
(a) In the event of any legal proceedings initiated
prior to or during an administrative proceeding in respect of
a domain-name dispute that is the subject of the complaint,
the Panel shall have the discretion to decide whether to suspend
or terminate the administrative proceeding, or to proceed to
a decision.
(b) In the event that a Party initiates any legal proceedings
during the pendency of an administrative proceeding in respect
of a domain-name dispute that is the subject of the complaint,
it shall promptly notify the Panel and the Provider. See Paragraph
8 above.
19. Fees
(a) The Complainant shall pay to the Provider an initial
fixed fee, in accordance with the Provider's Supplemental Rules,
within the time and in the amount required. A Respondent electing
under Paragraph 5(b)(iv) to have the dispute decided by a three-member
Panel, rather than the single-member Panel elected by the Complainant,
shall pay the Provider one-half the fixed fee for a three-member
Panel. See Paragraph 5(c). In all other cases, the Complainant
shall bear all of the Provider's fees, except as prescribed
under Paragraph 19(d). Upon appointment of the Panel, the Provider
shall refund the appropriate portion, if any, of the initial
fee to the Complainant, as specified in the Provider's Supplemental
Rules.
(b) No action shall be taken by the Provider on a complaint
until it has received from Complainant the initial fee in accordance
with Paragraph 19(a).
(c) If the Provider has not received the fee within
ten (10) calendar days of receiving the complaint, the complaint
shall be deemed withdrawn and the administrative proceeding
terminated.
(d) In exceptional circumstances, for example in the
event an in-person hearing is held, the Provider shall request
the Parties for the payment of additional fees, which shall
be established in agreement with the Parties and the Panel.
20. Exclusion of Liability
Except in the case of deliberate wrongdoing, neither the Provider
nor a Panelist shall be liable to a Party for any act or omission
in connection with any administrative proceeding under these
Rules.
21. Amendments
The version of these Rules in effect at the time of the submission
of the complaint to the Provider shall apply to the administrative
proceeding commenced thereby. These Rules may not be amended
without the express written approval of ICANN.
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Providers
Approved Providers
For Uniform Domain Name
Dispute Resolution Policy
(As Approved by ICANN on May 21, 2000)
Complaints under the
policy may be submitted to any approved dispute-resolution service
provider listed below. Each provider follows the Rules for Uniform
Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy as well as its own supplemental
rules. To go to the web site of a provider, click on its name
below:
Additional providers
may be approved soon.
The above approvals are in effect until further notice at this
web page.