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Earlier this year it was revealed that there were bogus registrations of Web names under the new .info domain by cybersquatters using phony information. These bogus registrations were done under the firm's "sunrise" registration period that was designed to allow legal holders of certain trademarks to register the sites before they were open to the public. It is expected that cybersquatters who had improperly registered names had done so in order to sell the valuable Web addresses to corporations at a later date for profit.
All of this led to over 500 registered Web names being challenged in front of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and there is a potential for more challenges until the 26 December closing date.
Afilias said on Thursday that it had strengthened its sunrise policies and challenge process to ensure the effectiveness of the registration system. "With some strategic enhancements to our policies we believe we will be able to clear the .info domain of sunrise registrations that were improperly submitted," the company said.
The company will now require anyone wanting to register a successfully challenged sunrise name to produce proof of their valid trademark. This policy change, which was posted two weeks ago and became effective on Thursday, was made in accordance with Afilias' agreement with WIPO.
Also, registrars will now have the ability to correct some "WHOIS" data and request deletions of domain names. Afilias' initial sunrise policy required all registrants who participated in the sunrise registration period to have a valid trademark of national effect prior to 02 October 2000 and submit the corresponding information at registration. Afilias said, as a tool to battle cybersquatters who resell names quickly, it has locked these registrations for 180 days to both secure the data and ensure that no domains avoided scrutiny under the subsequent challenge process.
In August Afilias said it would exercise its rights under the sunrise challenge process and submit a bulk challenge against remaining sunrise names that appear to be invalid.
Through the introduction of two new databases of registrant information, Afilias said it will now have the ability to submit this bulk challenge by narrowing the number of names that it will need to consider. Afilias will release a list of names being considered prior to issuing its bulk challenge, but the company offered no specific dates.
Names that are successfully cancelled as a result of Afilias' bulk challenge, as well as requested deletions and other names that may have been cancelled due to challenge proceedings, will be returned to public availability in early 2002.
According to Roland LaPlante, chief marketing officer, the company has received positive feedback on the new policies. He also told ElectricNews.Net that the sunrise policy, which is the first of its kind in that no new top-level domain names have been introduced in the last 15 years, was still considered to be the best way to handle the protection of intellectual property.
LaPlante pointed out that there are a number of other domain names to launch in the coming months, all of which are controlled by ICANN. The registration of these sites will also be done through a sunrise program or other similar programmes designed to protect intellectual. LaPlante went on to say that generally the sunrise program was still viewed as a good process and Afilias has been in constant communication with ICANN in regard to its expertise with the system.
Afilias has 20 employees with offices in Dublin and Philidelphia. It can be found at http://www.afilias.info and WIPO is at http://www.wipo.int.
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