WIPO Internet Domain Name Process

Report: San Francisco Regional Consultation

On September 23, 1998, the first of a series of one-day regional consultations in the framework of the WIPO Internet Domain Name Process was held at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA. The aim of the consultations is to allow all interested parties from the business and trademark world, the Internet engineering community and public interest groupings to express their views on the issues addressed in the WIPO Internet Domain Name Process. These views will be taken into account by WIPO as a basis for the formulation of its recommendations regarding certain intellectual property issues associated with Internet domain names. These recommendations are to be presented early next year to the new organization being formed to administer the domain name system.

The meeting was attended on behalf of WIPO by Christopher Gibson, Head, Electronic Commerce Section, Office of Legal and Organization Affairs and David Muls, Senior Legal Officer, from the same section. The panel of experts, which is to assist WIPO in its work, was represented by Ken Fockler (Former Chair and President, Canadian Association of Internet Providers), Oscar Robles Garay (Interim Chair, Latin American & Carribean LACTLD), Laina Greene (Advisory Panel Member, Asia & Pacific Internet Association), Donald Heath (President, Internet Society), Frederick Mostert (President, International Trademark Association), and Mark Partridge (Chair, Professional Programs Committee American Intellectual Property Law Association).

Opening remarks on behalf of Stanford University were presented by Professor John Barton of the Stanford Law School.

The presentations and open discussions covered the four main topics to be addressed by the WIPO Internet Domain Name Process: dispute prevention, dispute resolution, protection of famous and well-known marks, and introduction of new gTLDs. The table below lists those who made presentations or interventions during the course of the meeting. Issues that attracted particular attention were the nature and extent of current problems encountered by owners of trademarks with respect to domain names, the need to secure reliable contact details of domain name registrants (and the consequences of such details not being available), the use of gateway pages, directory and listing services as means to avoid disputes, and the role of alternative dispute resolution for domain name conflicts.

A recording was made of the proceedings. A transcript of the meeting is available on this website under the section Consultations.

Speakers