The auDRP and the UDRP are Dispute Resolution procedures available to prevent “cybersquatting”. The auDRP is specific to “.au” domain names, and the UDRP covers generic top-level domain names (.com, .net, .info, and similar).

Federal Court Practice Note No 30: Fast Track Directions was recently issued, heralding the introduction of the “Fast Track” litigation process to all Federal Courts Australia-wide.

For all you trade mark owners out there, you may want to take note of the recent micro-blogging trend called Twitter. Twitter is an online service which allows you to communicate and broadcast near-instant messages to anyone who cares to subscribe to your online message feed about your current activities – which sounds like a modern and low-cost way to keep in touch or build a loyal fan base for that trade mark you have been promoting through more “traditional” channels. But if you were looking at getting into the “twittersphere”, you had best do so quickly, before someone else decides to register your trade mark as their user name.

Last month we reported on a pending WIPO UDRP dispute over the www.narnia.mobi domain name between the Estate of CS Lewis and a family in Scotland. The media coverage surrounding the dispute was significant, due largely to the respondent family’s claims that they purchased the domain name for their son, so he could have a “Narnia” e-mail address. The UDRP Panelist charged with deciding the dispute was not so easily swayed:

The estate of author CS Lewis, have filed a complaint through WIPO’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) seeking transfer of the domain name www.NARNIA.mobi from an eleven year old Scottish boy who was to receive it as a birthday gift from his parents. He was a fan of the CS Lewis novels. His parents thought he’d like to use the domain as an e-mail address.

The registration of .com.au is regulated by .au Domain Adminstration Ltd (auDA). Domains are registered through approved domain name Registrars. Once registered, the licensed holder of a .com.au domain name could only transfer the domain to another party in a limited set of circumstances (eg. settlement of a trade mark dispute or as part of a sale of business). Changes to the auDA Transfers (Change of Registrant) Policy which came recently came into effect on 1 June 2008 now allows a domain name registrant to transfer their domain name licence to another party for any reason.