.UK guardian reveals annual Dispute Resolution Service performance
Nominet, the guardian of the .UK domain since 1996, has today released its summary of domain name disputes brought before its Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) during 2023. It handled 511 complaints, resulting in an estimated £7,225,000 in court and legal fee savings.
Nominet’s DRS seeks to resolve domain name disputes as efficiently as possible. It aims to settle disputes through mediation and, where this isn’t possible, through an independent expert decision.
The 2023 report reveals that 48% of all domain dispute cases that went through its DRS process resulted in a domain transfer (245 cases). This is up slightly from other years – for example 43% of disputed domains were transferred in 2021.
Meanwhile, the number of complaints going through the DRS has declined. 2023 is down from 568 in 2022. Until now, the peak in complaints was in 2015 (728) with a downward trend since.
The key stats:
- In 2023, the DRS saw cases brought by complainants from 31 countries, with respondents from 37 countries. Great Britain was the top-ranking complainant and respondent.
- The most common industries for disputes were: Automotive (9 cases), banking and finance (5), retail (4), hotels and travel (4), software (3) and electronics (3).
- The majority of disputes related to co.uk domains at 538, followed by .uk (122),.org.uk (18), and .me.uk (2).
Nick Wenban-Smith, General Counsel, Nominet, commented: “With rising costs affecting every industry, I’m pleased that our DRS is still here to support businesses with free mediation and cost-effective dispute resolution.
“We want to protect the .UK namespace and enable individuals and businesses to thrive in a fair digital economy. We can only do this because of formal processes like the DRS, which help to ensure all parties to a dispute have the chance to be heard and their perspectives are carefully considered.”
An expert on the DRS panel, Nick Gardner added: “The domain name industry has already evolved significantly, most notably due to the sheer volume of domain names being registered, which is having a knock-on effect on domain dispute cases.”
See the full DRS report for 2023 here.
ABOUT NOMINET
Nominet is a public benefit company, driven by a commitment to use technology to improve connectivity, security and inclusivity online. Since 1996, Nominet has run the .UK internet infrastructure, developing an expertise in the Domain Name System (DNS) that now underpins sophisticated threat monitoring, detection, prevention, and analytics that is used by governments to mitigate cyber threats. Our social impact programme provides funding, support and opportunities to help tackle some of the most important digital issues facing young people in the UK today.
Learn more on nominet.uk
ABOUT THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICE
Nominet’s Dispute Resolution Service has addressed over 13,000 .UK domain disputes since being established in 2001. To make a complaint through the DRS, you need to have rights (such as a trade mark) in a name which is the same or similar to the domain name you are concerned about. The DRS can usually provide a quicker and cheaper resolution to disputes than going through the courts as this service is based on free, confidential mediation. In the event of deadlock, complainants can pay to appoint independent experts from a panel to make a binding adjudication. Nominet does not profit from running the DRS, the fee for decisions is paid to the Expert for their time adjudicating disputes.
FIND OUT MORE
More information about the DRS is available at nominet.uk/disputes
NOTES TO EDITORS
The avoided court cost is calculated by assuming court and legal fee savings of £25,000 per complaint that progresses into formal dispute resolution.