1. Purpose.

This Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy") has been adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"), is incorporated by reference into your Registration Agreement, and sets forth the terms and conditions in connection with a dispute between you and any party other than us (the registrar) over the registration and use of an Internet domain name registered by you. Proceedings under Paragraph 4 of this Policy will be conducted according to the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules of Procedure"), which are available at www.icann.org/udrp/udrp-rules-24oct99.htm, and the selected administrative-dispute-resolution service provider's supplemental rules.

2. Your Representations.

By applying to register a domain name, or by asking us to maintain or renew a domain name registration, you hereby represent and warrant to us that

1. the statements that you made in your Registration Agreement are complete and accurate;
2. to your knowledge, the registration of the domain name will not infringe upon or otherwise violate the rights of any third party;
3. you are not registering the domain name for an unlawful purpose; and
4. you will not knowingly use the domain name in violation of any applicable laws or regulations. It is your responsibility to determine whether your domain name registration infringes or violates someone else's rights.

3. Cancellations, Transfers, and Changes.

We will cancel, transfer or otherwise make changes to domain name registrations under the following circumstances:

1. subject to the provisions of Paragraph 8, our receipt of written or appropriate electronic instructions from you or your authorized agent to take such action;
2. our receipt of an order from a court or arbitral tribunal, in each case of competent jurisdiction, requiring such action; and/or
3. our receipt of a decision of an Administrative Panel requiring such action in any administrative proceeding to which you were a party and which was conducted under this Policy or a later version of this Policy adopted by ICANN. (See Paragraph 4(i) and (k) below.) We may also cancel, transfer or otherwise make changes to a domain name registration in accordance with the terms of your Registration Agreement or other legal requirements.

4. Mandatory Administrative Proceeding.

This Paragraph sets forth the type of disputes for which you are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding. These proceedings will be conducted before one of the administrative-dispute-resolution service providers listed at www.icann.org/udrp/approved-providers.htm (each, a "Provider").

a. Applicable Disputes. You are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding in the event that a third party (a "complainant") asserts to the applicable Provider, in compliance with the Rules of Procedure, that

1. your domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the complainant has rights; and
2. you have no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
3. your domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

In the administrative proceeding, the complainant must prove that each of these three elements are present.

b. Evidence of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. For the purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be present, shall be evidence of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith:

1. circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or
2. you have registered the domain name in order to prevent the owner of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain name, provided that you have engaged in a pattern of such conduct; or
3. you have registered the domain name primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of a competitor; or
4. by using the domain name, you have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your web site or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant's mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your web site or location or of a product or service on your web site or location.
   
   

c. How to Demonstrate Your Rights to and Legitimate Interests in the Domain Name in Responding to a Complaint. When you receive a complaint, you should refer to Paragraph 5 of the Rules of Procedure in determining how your response should be prepared. Any of the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be proved based on its evaluation of all evidence presented, shall demonstrate your rights or legitimate interests to the domain name for purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(ii):

1. before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the domain name or a name corresponding to the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services; or
2. you (as an individual, business, or other organization) have been commonly known by the domain name, even if you have acquired no trademark or service mark rights; or
3. you are making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name, without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the trademark or service mark at issue.

d. Selection of Provider. The complainant shall select the Provider from among those approved by ICANN by submitting the complaint to that Provider. The selected Provider will administer the proceeding, except in cases of consolidation as described in Paragraph 4(f).

e. Initiation of Proceeding and Process and Appointment of Administrative Panel. The Rules of Procedure state the process for initiating and conducting a proceeding and for appointing the panel that will decide the dispute (the "Administrative Panel").

f. Consolidation. In the event of multiple disputes between you and a complainant, either you or the complainant may petition to consolidate the disputes before a single Administrative Panel. This petition shall be made to the first Administrative Panel appointed to hear a pending dispute between the parties. This Administrative Panel may consolidate before it any or all such disputes in its sole discretion, provided that the disputes being consolidated are governed by this Policy or a later version of this Policy adopted by ICANN.

g. Fees. All fees charged by a Provider in connection with any dispute before an Administrative Panel pursuant to this Policy shall be paid by the complainant, except in cases where you elect to expand the Administrative Panel from one to three panelists as provided in Paragraph 5(b)(iv) of the Rules of Procedure, in which case all fees will be split evenly by you and the complainant.

h. Our Involvement in Administrative Proceedings. We do not, and will not, participate in the administration or conduct of any proceeding before an Administrative Panel. In addition, we will not be liable as a result of any decisions rendered by the Administrative Panel.

i. Remedies. The remedies available to a complainant pursuant to any proceeding before an Administrative Panel shall be limited to requiring the cancellation of your domain name or the transfer of your domain name registration to the complainant.

j. Notification and Publication. The Provider shall notify us of any decision made by an Administrative Panel with respect to a domain name you have registered with us. All decisions under this Policy will be published in full over the Internet, except when an Administrative Panel determines in an exceptional case to redact portions of its decision.

5. All Other Disputes and Litigation. All other disputes between you and any party other than us regarding your domain name registration that are not brought pursuant to the mandatory administrative proceeding provisions of Paragraph 4 shall be resolved between you and such other party through any court, arbitration or other proceeding that may be available.

6. Our Involvement in Disputes. We will not participate in any way in any dispute between you and any party other than us regarding the registration and use of your domain name. You shall not name us as a party or otherwise include us in any such proceeding. In the event that we are named as a party in any such proceeding, we reserve the right to raise any and all defenses deemed appropriate, and to take any other action necessary to defend ourselves.

7. Maintaining the Status Quo. We will not cancel, transfer, activate, deactivate, or otherwise change the status of any domain name registration under this Policy except as provided in Paragraph 3 above.

8. Transfers During a Dispute.

a. Transfers of a Domain Name to a New Holder. You may not transfer your domain name registration to another holder

1. during a pending administrative proceeding brought pursuant to Paragraph 4 or for a period of fifteen (15) business days (as observed in the location of our principal place of business) after such proceeding is concluded; or
2. during a pending court proceeding or arbitration commenced regarding your domain name unless the party to whom the domain name registration is being transferred agrees, in writing, to be bound by the decision of the court or arbitrator. We reserve the right to cancel any transfer of a domain name registration to another holder that is made in violation of this subparagraph.

b. Changing Registrars. You may not transfer your domain name registration to another registrar during a pending administrative proceeding brought pursuant to Paragraph 4 or for a period of fifteen (15) business days (as observed in the location of our principal place of business) after such proceeding is concluded. You may transfer administration of your domain name registration to another registrar during a pending court action or arbitration, provided that the domain name you have registered with us shall continue to be subject to the proceedings commenced against you in accordance with the terms of this Policy. In the event that you transfer a domain name registration to us during the pendency of a court action or arbitration, such dispute shall remain subject to the domain name dispute policy of the registrar from which the domain name registration was transferred.

9. Policy Modifications. We reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time with the permission of ICANN. We will post our revised Policy at at least thirty (30) calendar days before it becomes effective. Unless this Policy has already been invoked by the submission of a complaint to a Provider, in which event the version of the Policy in effect at the time it was invoked will apply to you until the dispute is over, all such changes will be binding upon you with respect to any domain name registration dispute, whether the dispute arose before, on or after the effective date of our change. In the event that you object to a change in this Policy, your sole remedy is to cancel your domain name registration with us, provided that you will not be entitled to a refund of any fees you paid to us. The revised Policy will apply to you until you cancel your domain name registration.

UK Dispute Policy

1. Investigation

2. Formal action under the rules

3. The Nominet Alternative Dispute Resolution Service.

The UK Naming authority Nominet (http://www.nic.uk/) handle all disputes in relation to .uk domain names. There current policy is: (taken from http://www.nic.uk/ref/drs.html)

On learning of a dispute about an Internet Domain Name registered under a sub-domain of the .uk Top Level Domain, between the organisation or individual and another laying claim to a stronger right to register it, Nominet will assist the parties by providing the following services:

Investigation

1. Nominet UK will seek to establish whether a mutually acceptable resolution to the dispute can be found by the impartial intervention of Senior Executive staff of Nominet UK.

Formal action under the rules

2. Under the rules for the .uk domain and sub-domains, Nominet UK may suspend delegation of an Internet Domain Name in certain circumstances. The dispute that arises most frequently is where it is drawn to Nominet UK's attention by a third party that in their view a Domain Name is being used in a manner likely to cause confusion to Internet users. There are other more objective circumstances which may lead to suspension, including where it is drawn to Nominet UK's attention that a Domain Name is administered in a way likely to endanger operation of the DNS.

3. If investigation does not lead to a mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute, Nominet UK will consider the evidence assembled during the investigation to determine whether the delegation of the Domain Name should be suspended.

4. If any party affected is dissatisfied with Nominet UK's decision to suspend (or not to suspend) delegation of a Domain Name, Nominet UK will, at that party's request, refer the suspension to an independent expert for a written recommendation that Nominet UK should confirm or revoke its decision.

5. Nominet UK maintains a list of independent experts. They will each be consulted on a rota basis, subject to any conflicts of interest identified by the expert in question.

6. The expert will be sent copies of all letters, faxes, e-mails and notes, together with a short statement by Nominet UK, confirming the background, timing and implementation of its decision.

7. The interested parties will be informed by Nominet UK of the referral to the expert and provided with copies of relevant documents. The expert will invite the parties affected by the suspension, or failure to suspend, to make one written submission, within 14 days, of his or her receipt of all the documents referred to in paragraph 6.

8. Neither party will have the right to call for a hearing before the expert at which witnesses would be examined. The expert may invite the parties to appear before him or her.

9. The expert will issue his or her written recommendation to Nominet UK with reasons, with copies to any other party, no later than one month after receipt of the documents referred to in paragraph 6 above from Nominet UK.

10. Immediately on receipt of the expert's recommendation, Nominet UK will reconsider its earlier decision to suspend, or not to suspend, the delegation of the Domain Name. A final decision will be made and confirmed to all interested parties.

11. If either party is dissatisfied with Nominet UK's final decision on suspension of delegation of the Domain Name, Nominet UK will inform the parties of the Nominet Alternative Dispute Resolution Service, administered by the Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) and forward to them details of the service. If one of the parties refuses to enter into a mediation agreement (or mediation does not resolve the dispute), the dissatisfied party will remain in a position to seek advice from its lawyers about pursuing its case by litigation in the courts or (with the agreement of the other party) in arbitration.

The Nominet Alternative Dispute Resolution Service

12. Nominet UK ADR is a form of mediation whereby parties to a dispute agree with a neutral third party intermediary to assist them to reach a negotiated settlement agreement. Mediation fees and expenses are borne by the parties. The process aims to avoid the delay, expense and confrontation associated with litigation and arbitration. Parties invoking the Nominet UK ADR Service do not have to pay a membership or arrangement fee to CEDR. Mediation fees will be quoted, from CEDR on request.

13. Mediation (sometimes described as conciliation) is non-binding in that there is no commitment to settle and the mediator has no power to impose a solution. However, when an agreement is reached it may be documented and signed by the parties. This will create an enforceable contract at the option of the parties, which can be used in Court.

14. CEDR have been appointed to provide accredited intermediaries for Nominet UK at a specially reduced rate, and to administer the Nominet Alternative Dispute Resolution Service. The organisation is an independent non-profit making body whose aims are supported by the CBI, the DTI and the IOD. They offer a free telephone advice line for parties interested in taking an Internet domain name dispute to mediation, subject to common sense restraints.