.ZA Domain Registry Proposes New Regulations for Settling Disputes

[mandy]

South Africa's .za registry has proposed new regulations for domain name disputes:

NEW REGULATIONS for settling disputes over internet domain names that fall under the .za domain were published for public comment today...

Areas covered by the regulations included intellectual property rights, commercial, cultural, linguistic, religious and personal rights in relation to domain names, protected under South African law.

"The regulations allow a complainant to request dispute resolution where the complainant can prove that he or she has rights to a name or mark that is identical or similar to a domain name that was registered by someone else," the statement read...

A lack of regulation has been cited as hampering e-commerce, and leaving aggrieved parties with no alternative but to litigate in court at a high cost to get a domain name back...

full article: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/na...BD4A324338