What is a domain name dispute?
A domain name dispute essentially means a dispute concerning the registration and/or use of a domain name. A domain name is simply a textual address by which anyone can find a host machine which hosts, for example, your website, on the Internet. Disputes over domain names have increased because domain names have become important as identifiers to businesses, joining other identifiers protected by intellectual property rights such as trademarks.

What are the main causes of domain name disputes?
Most domain name disputes are due to cybersquatting. This is when third parties start registering as domain names, trademarks, names of famous people or businesses with which they usually have no connection as domain names. Usually, cybersquatters will register several variations of these names and then sell them back to the company or person involved, or auction them for prices sometimes way above the registration cost. Other cybersquatters use these domain names to attract business to their own sites.

Why do such disputes arise?
Because of the first-come, first-served nature of domain name registration systems. Domain name registration service providers do not screen the filing of potentially problematic names. This is due to several reasons, including the practical difficulties involved in determining who holds the rights to a name.