James Nurton, London and Eileen McDermott, New York
Cybersquatting is alive and well, with domain name pirates capitalising on demand for drugs online and the economic downturn, judging by data in two reports published last month. The findings are likely to concern brand owners as ICANN presses ahead with expansion of top-level domains.
On March 16, WIPO published its annual review of UDRP cases before the Organisation's Arbitration and Mediation Center. The review reported that the number of UDRP complaints filed rose by 8% to a record 2,329 in 2008. This means that WIPO has handled more than 14,000 cases, covering more than 26,000 domain names, in the first 10 years of the UDRP.
The report also showed that complainants won 85% of contested disputes last year, with 30% of all cases filed being settled without a panel decision.
According to the report, 79% of cases concerned...