Internet domain name management: A review

Internet, due to various features, has become a distinct and profound phenomenon. Domain names, associated with email, web site addresses, which facilitate user's ability to navigate Internet, have also become part of the communication apparatus used by businesses to identify themselves, their products and their activities. At the same time, there is growing concern between the human-friendly domain names and intellectual property, more specifically trademarks, looking at the growing number of disputes. This has triggered intensive discussions throughout the world, on the organisation and management of Domain names and efforts are on to institutionalise the functions associated with domain name registration through a not-for-profit private corporation. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the new non-profit corporation that was formed to take over the responsibility of address allocation and domain name management, besides other functions, which were being performed under U.S. Government entities. In recent times, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has been active to evolve international consensus and develop recommendations on certain intellectual property issues associated with domain names, including dispute resolution mechanisms. In light of the above changing scenario, in this review paper, we assess the developments and the policies that are in the process of being adopted for Internet Domain Management. These are the new dimensions as a consequence of the intersection of a global multipurpose medium, the Internet, with systems of intellectual property, designed for the physical territorial world. As can be seen from the references, 1998 has seen significant activity aimed at providing solutions for Internet governance.