WIPO doubles the speed of UDRP cases
The World Intellectual Property Organization has introduced a new, more expensive tier of its UDRP service that can effectively halve the time each case takes to about 30 days.
WIPO said last month that it now offers an “expedited case processing” option, which reduces the time from filing to decision to one month, under certain circumstances, compared to the usual roughly 60 days.
The new option only applies to cases involving one to five domains registered to the same registrant, decided by a single-member UDRP panel, and relies upon third parties such as registrars sticking to their timing obligations under the policy.
The option costs complainants $4,000, compared to the usual $1,500. WIPO’s cut doubles from $500 to $1,000, with the remainder going to the panelist. Registrants are also able to request an expedited process for a cost of $2,500.
Because WIPO cannot unilaterally change the UDRP, registrants still get the standard 20 days to respond when their domains are targeted. They also still get to pay to demand a three-person panel, which effectively counteracts the expedited timeline.
The option means that UDRP could now only be a week or so slower than the Uniform Rapid Suspension service, for those trademark owners willing to pay the higher fee.
WIPO said that the expedited service will be managed by a dedicated team and a “special roster of panelists”, which may or may not turn out to be important depending on which panelists are selected for this limited pool.
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