This article, the first of a two-parter, looks at the events surrounding the launch of .eu, the new ‘domain name for Europe’, and how intellectual property (IP) rights were protected at the time. This sets the scene for the second part, which will look at the specific .eu alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process itself, which has come into play since the launch.
We are now more than a year on from the launch of .eu. Although many brand owners were able to make use of an advanced ‘sunrise period’ and successfully register key brands, others were either not aware of the launch, or were poorly advised and their applications were unsuccessful, losing out to unscrupulous third parties or competitors. Aggrieved parties have the option of using the specifically designed .eu ADR procedure, which has a unique set of operating rules, and is the only such ADR procedure that now allows wholly electronic filing – the first all-electronic filing of a .eu complaint was submitted by Lovells on 10 April, 2007.
