Protecting Domain Investors & The Domain Name Industry
Are you planning to attend NamesCon, taking place November 4–6 in Miami? We’re excited to share that the ICA will have its own dedicated area at the NamesCon Opening Party this year! It’s a great chance to connect with fellow ICA members, meet new people in the industry, and kick off the conference together! NamesCon brings together investors, registrars, registries, service providers, and experts from …
Thank you to everyone who joined us for yesterday’s ICA webinar on the next round of new gTLDs. We were thrilled with the turnout and the level of engagement throughout the session. The lively discussion made it clear that this is a timely and important topic for our community, and we’re glad we could bring so many perspectives together in one …
Thank you to everyone who joined us for yesterday’s ICA webinar on the next round of new gTLDs. We were thrilled with the turnout and the level of engagement throughout the session. The lively discussion made it clear that this is a timely and important topic for our community, and we’re glad we could bring so many perspectives together in one …
Contrived Complaint or Unsuccessful Complaint? When it comes to RDNH, I have consistently said that while Panelists are required to consider it when appropriate, RDNH is ultimately a matter of Panelist discretion having regard to the circumstances. Here, it appears that the Complainant apparently fumbled the case by failing to provide evidence of common law trademark rights, and as the …
We’re pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the 2026 Lonnie Borck Memorial Award and ICA Trailblazer Award. These two awards celebrate different, but equally important, contributions to our industry, and we hope you’ll take a few moments to nominate someone or a company you believe deserves recognition. Deadline to nominate: November 2, 2025 Who can nominate: Anyone in the industry …
Panel: Complainants Attempted to Pervert UDRP Process with Forged Trademark As the saying goes, “forewarned is forearmed”. We must thank Panelist Steven Maier for warning us all that such frauds can occur in the UDRP and that Panelists must always be vigilant when reviewing a case. Often such vigilance extends to examining the trademark register itself to verify whether the …
“Complete Absence of Evidence of Targeting” Leads to RDNH Although not expressly mentioned in the decision, the word, “ONIRIC” happens to be a dictionary word meaning “related to dreams or dreaming”. That provides an explanation of why the Respondent registered the Domain Name in the first place and also why the Complainant selected it for its brand as well. Of …
Expert Insights on What’s Next for the New gTLD Program Back in March, the ICA hosted a well-attended webinar on the next round of new gTLDs—and the strong interest and evolving landscape made it clear there’s more to cover. As the next application window approaches, we’re bringing in a curated panel of leading experts on new gTLDs—Susan Payne, Christa Taylor, …
Three-Letter .Com Domains Are Valuable Because They’re Easy to Remember and Scarce An exceptionally well-reasoned decision by the Panel. I particularly appreciate how the Panel observed that “there are some three letter trademarks where the evidence of fame and reputation is well established on a world-wide basis and it is generally straightforward to at least draw an inference that registration …
What is the Proper Scope of the UDRP? Panelists, including in the above dispute, are regularly making findings that disputes brought before the UDRP are outside of the scope of the UDRP. What is the proper scope of the UDRP and what causes a dispute to be outside of this proper scope? The word “scope” does not appear in the …
