The Domain Name Authority of South Africa (.za DNA) today announced a new approach to regulating local domain names. From now on disputes will be settled through independent adjudicators, meaning that expensive court cases are no longer a necessity.
“One of the most common problems we see is when a person or business registers a competitor’s name online for financial gain, or to get an unfair advantage over competitors by denying them access to a domain name,” says Dr. Hasmukh Gajjar, chairman of the .za DNA. “They may also register an offensive domain name, which could bring another person or organisation into disrepute.”
It will cost companies R10 000 for a single adjudicator while a panel of three will set them back R24 000. According to DNA this is far cheaper than a legal battle in the courts, which can apparently run up a bill of around R250 000. 10 percent of the fee will go towards a fund intended for companies that cannot afford the adjudicator fees.
In essence this new system acts as a domain name claims court, without the lawyers though. This will definitely be a big breakthrough for companies that have had their domain names taken.
“If people or businesses want to lodge a complaint, the process requires that they are able to provide sufficient evidence proving that a domain name registration is abusive or offensive. The current owners of that name are also given the opportunity to prove why they should keep the name up and running” furthered Gajjar.
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