WIPO Internet Domain Name Process

Report: Singapore regional consultation

On January 22, 1999, a one-day regional consultation within the framework of the WIPO Internet Domain Name Process was held in Singapore. The meeting was co-sponsored by the Registry of Trademarks and Patents, and the Trade Development Board. The aim of the meeting was to allow all interested parties from the business and trademark, Internet engineering, and public interest communities to express their views on the draft recommendations proposed by WIPO in its Interim Report of December 23, 1998. These views will be taken into account by WIPO as a basis for the formulation of its Final Report to be issued in March 1999.

The meeting was attended on behalf of WIPO by Geoffrey Yu, Director, Office of Global Communications and Public Diplomacy, and David Muls, Senior Legal Officer, Electronic Commerce Section, Office of Legal and Organization Affairs. The panel of experts was represented by Harald Alvestrand (Area Director for Operations and Management, Internet Engineering Task Force), Ken Fockler (Former Chair and President, Canadian Association of Internet Providers), and Laina Greene (Advisory Panel Member, Asia & Pacific Internet Association).

Opening remarks on behalf of WIPO and the local organizers were presented by Geoffrey Yu and Liew Woon Yin, Registrar of Trademarks and Patents.

The presentations and open discussions covered the four main topics to be addressed by the 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 need for domain name applicants to provide contact details and related privacy considerations, the mandatory nature of the proposed administrative dispute resolution system and the appropriate scope of claims to be covered by it, the desirability of pro-active exclusions for famous and well-known marks, and the need for adequate differentiation in the introduction of new gTLDs.

Closing remarks were presented by Geoffrey Yu and Ng Kim Neo, Senior Director, Trade Policy Division, Trade Development Board.

A recording was made of the proceedings, and the transcript is available.

Speakers