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Rights Protection Mechanisms Review

News

Overview

The Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPM) Review, conducted by ICANN staff to assist the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice (CCT) Review Team in its analysis of the effectiveness of certain safeguards built into the New gTLD Program, was completed in Q4 2015. The The Revised Report: Rights Protection Mechanism Review evaluates data on key protection mechanisms such as the Trademark Clearinghouse, Uniform Rapid Suspension System and Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedures. The interaction between RPMs and other elements of the New gTLD Program are also considered. The report will inform the work of the CCT Review Team, as well as possible policy discussions in the GNSO and the GAC-recommended review of the Trademark Clearinghouse.

Review Areas

The Trademark Clearinghouse: The Trademark Clearinghouse is a global repository for verified trademark data used to support both Trademark Claims and Sunrise Services. The review includes an analysis of the Clearinghouse processes to meet rights protection objectives by analyzing quantitative and qualitative data such as input from service providers, media reports, customer service inquiries and user feedback.

Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS): The URS is designed to offer a lower-cost, faster path to relief for rights holders experiencing clear-cut cases of infringement caused by domain name registrations. Statistics such as outcomes of proceedings, as well as community feedback on the effectiveness of the URS are included in the review.

Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDDRP): The PDDRP provides an alternative avenue for those harmed by the conduct of a new gTLD Registry Operator to complain about that conduct. While there were no filings of formal complaints that could be analyzed in the review, more discussions are expected on the PDDRP at a later point.