PETOŠEVIĆ Successfully Handles Two .GE Domain Name Disputes

PETOŠEVIĆ recently represented an American technology and e-commerce company in two administrative proceedings related to two infringing Georgian domain names before the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. The proceedings were held under a variation of the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) for the .GE country-code top-level domain (ccTLD). The unauthorized use of the client’s trademarks was ceased, and the disputed domain names were transferred to the client.

The decisions were among the first ones issued by the WIPO Center in 2023 with respect to .GE domain names. The WIPO Domain Name Dispute Resolution Service for .GE has been available since 2018, providing an effective, faster alternative to the regular judicial proceedings available when handling domain name disputes and protecting trademark rights against unauthorized use online.

Similar to the UDRP, the .GE Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy requires the following to be proven for a complaint to be successful:

• The complainant’s trademark or service mark is identical or confusingly similar to the disputed domain name;
• The domain name registrant has no rights or legitimate interests with respect to the domain name in question; and
• The disputed domain name is registered or being used in bad faith (the UDRP requires proof that the domain is registered and is being used in bad faith).

The proceedings are administered by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, which appoints a panelist or a three-member panel. The language of the proceedings is English.

The .GE Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy is one of the UDRP variations available for numerous ccTLDs. Other dispute resolution policies, also administered by the WIPO Center, cover jurisdictions such as Armenia (.AM), Moldova (.MD), Montenegro (.ME), Tajikistan (.TJ), Turkmenistan (.TM) and Ukraine (.UA).

By: Igor Alfiorov

For more information, please contact Igor Alfiorov at our Ukraine office.