aeDA Continues Its Efforts In Protecting Intellectual Property Rights Related To Domain Names #Sharjah

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aeDA Continues Its Efforts In Protecting Intellectual Property Rights Related To Domain Names

As part of its commitment toward the local internet community in the UAE, the .ae Domain Administration (.aeDA) of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) continues to implement the best international practices in protecting Intellectual Property Rights for its registrants. This comes in line with its mandate to enforce all policies related to the operation of the .ae country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) as well as overseeing the operation of the registry system.

To this end, the (.aeDA) has set the Dispute Resolution Policy, published for the public on 2008, which outlines the basis in which conflicts between aspiring claimants arising from the UAE (ccTLD) regarding Domain Name Registrations and Renewals will be handled. Accordingly, it binds registrants over the registration or use of all UAE ccTLD domain names including those under .ae ccTLD and (dotEmarat) Arabic ccTLD.

Commenting on the work of the .aeDA and its role in protecting the intellectual property rights, H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim said: "We have launched several phases for domain names registration during the past year. Registration has included governmental entities, companies, trademarks, and public and private establishments with the aim of encouraging and promoting the usage of domain names in the UAE, especially the ’emarat’ which has significant benefits for users because it enables them to overcome the language barrier that they may face when surfing the internet. Indeed, these phases of registration might have resulted in some disputes between registrants on intellectual property rights, and this is where the .aeDA plays a vital role to protect intellectual property rights and ensure rightful usage by its legitimate owners, ultimately protecting the intellectual property from exploitation."

In an effort to avoid disputes and protect intellectual property rights, the .aeDA stated that at the time of making an application for a domain name, an applicant must ensure that all information provided in support of the registration application is true, complete and correct, and is not misleading in any way; and the application to register the domain name has not been made in bad faith.

Al Ghanim added: "Although there are no restrictions in terms of who can register a domain, there are policies that have to be followed. For instance, there are names that fall under the list of Reserved Names that should not be registered for technical, moral, or cultural reasons. Additionally, the .aeDA made clear in its instructions that the registrant should be aware of the responsibilities addressed in its policies and should not violate Intellectual Property Rights of others when choosing a name; a trademark for example."

Formed by the TRA, a federal governmental department, the .aeDA will continually strive to maintain best practice for the administration of the .ae ccTLD and will administer the .ae domain in a fair and transparent manner.