
Hong Kong Domain Name
Registration Company Limited
Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
[Effective 26 January 2004] |
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4. Mandatory Arbitration Proceeding |
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This Paragraph sets forth the type of disputes for
which you are required to submit to a mandatory arbitration proceeding.
These proceedings will be conducted before one of the Dispute Resolution
Service Providers approved by us (each, a "Provider").
a. |
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Applicable Disputes. You are required to
submit to a mandatory arbitration proceeding in the event that
a third party (a "Complainant") asserts to
the applicable Provider, in compliance with the Rules of Procedure
and the Supplemental Rules of such Provider, that:
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(i) |
your Domain Name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark
or service mark in Hong Kong in which the Complainant has rights;
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(ii) |
you have no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the
Domain Name; and
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(iii) |
your Domain Name has been registered and is being used in bad
faith.
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To succeed in the arbitration proceeding, the Complainant must
prove that all of these three elements are present. For the
purpose of requirement (i) in relation to Chinese domain names,
the traditional or simplified form or any other variant set
out in the Chinese Characters Variant Table (defined in the
Domain Name Registration Agreement for Trial Chinese Domain
Names) of the same Chinese character appearing in a domain name
and trade mark respectively will be considered to be identical
and confusingly similar to each other.
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| b. |
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Evidence
of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. For the purposes
of Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular
but without limitation, if found by an Arbitration Panel to
be present, shall be evidence of the registration and use of
a Domain Name in bad faith:
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(i) |
circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have
acquired the Domain Name primarily for the purpose of selling,
renting, or otherwise transferring the Domain Name registration
to the Complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service
mark or to a competitor of that Complainant, for valuable consideration
in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related
to the Domain Name; or |
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(ii)
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you have registered the Domain Name in order to prevent the
owner of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark
in a corresponding Domain Name, provided that you have engaged
in a pattern of such conduct; or
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(iii) |
you have registered the Domain Name primarily for the purpose
of disrupting the business of a competitor; or
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(iv) |
by using the Domain Name, you have intentionally attempted to
attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your web site
or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion
with the Complainant's mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation,
or endorsement of your web site or location or of a product
or service on your web site or location.
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How to Demonstrate Your Rights to and Legitimate Interests
in the Domain Name in Responding to a Complaint. When
you receive a Complaint as defined in Paragraph 3 of the Rules
of Procedure, you should refer to Paragraph 5 of the Rules of
Procedure in determining how your Response should be prepared.
Any of the following circumstances, in particular but without
limitation, if found by an Arbitration Panel to be proven based
on its evaluation of all evidence presented to it, shall demonstrate
your rights or legitimate interests to the Domain Name for purposes
of Paragraph 4(a)(ii):
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(i) |
before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or demonstrable
preparations to use, the Domain Name or a name corresponding
to the Domain Name in connection with a bona fide offering of
goods or services in Hong Kong; or
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(ii) |
you (as an individual, business, or other organisation) have
been commonly known by the Domain Name, even if you have acquired
no trade mark or service mark rights in Hong Kong; or
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(iii) |
you are making a legitimate non-commercial or fair use of the
Domain Name, without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly
divert consumers or to tarnish the trade mark or service mark
at issue.
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| d. |
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Selection
of Provider. The Complainant shall select the Provider
from among those approved by the HKDNR by submitting the Complaint
to that Provider. The selected Provider will administer the
arbitration proceedings.
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e. |
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Initiation of arbitration proceeding and process and
appointment of Arbitration Panel. The Rules of Procedure
and the Provider's Supplementary Rules set out the process for
initiating and conducting an arbitration proceeding and for
appointing the Arbitration Panel, which will decide the dispute.
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f. |
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Fees. All fees charged by a Provider in connection
with any dispute before an Arbitration Panel pursuant to this
Dispute Resolution Policy shall be paid by the Complainant,
except in cases where you elect to expand the Arbitration Panel
from one to three Panelists as provided in Paragraph 5(b)(iv)
of the Rules of Procedure and in the Provider's Supplemental
Rules, in which case all fees will be split evenly by you and
the Complainant.
Attention is also drawn to Paragraph 18(d) of the Rules of Procedure
which provides for the possible charge for extra fees in the
exceptional circumstances, for example if an in-person hearing
is held.
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g. |
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Our Involvement in Arbitration Proceedings.
We do not, and will not, participate in the administration or
conduct of any proceeding before an Arbitration Panel. In addition,
we will not be liable as a result of any decisions rendered
by an Arbitration Panel.
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h. |
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Remedies. The remedies available to a Complainant
pursuant to any proceeding before an Arbitration Panel shall
be limited to requiring the cancellation of your Domain Name
or the transfer of your Domain Name registration to the Complainant.
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i. |
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Notification and Publication. The Provider
shall notify us of any decision made by an Arbitration Panel
with respect to a Domain Name you have registered with us. All
decisions under this Dispute Resolution Policy, the Rules of
Procedure and the Provider's Supplemental Rules will be final
and binding and including without limitation publication in
full on the Internet or other forms of publication, except when
an Arbitration Panel determines in an exceptional case, to redact
portions of its decision.
By applying to register a Domain Name and by asking us to register,
maintain or renew a Domain Name registration, you agree that
a decision by an Arbitration Panel in which you are a Respondent
may be made public and may be posted on the website of the HKDNR
and or the Provider which appointed the Arbitration Panel in
question.
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j. |
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Results of an Arbitration Panel's Decision.
If an Arbitration Panel decides that your Domain Name registration
should be cancelled or transferred, we will wait ten (10) business
days after we are informed by the applicable Provider of the
Arbitration Panel's decision before implementing that decision.
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