What counts as cybersquatting?
Cybersquatting means registering or using a domain that matches someone else's mark or name, to sell it, block them, or catch their customers. A similar word is not enough. Policies look at rights, real use, and bad faith. A descriptive word, an earlier name, or a client holding can be legitimate. A court or the forum decides, not this page.
- Often complained about: a name registered to resell to the mark owner, a pattern of blocking the owner, or a site dressed up to look like the owner.
- Not automatic abuse: a generic word tied to a real business, an earlier registration you have actually used, or a developer holding a name for the client who owns the mark.
- One complaint usually covers one domain. A portfolio of lookalikes is several complaints, not one form with many names dropped in.
How does INDRP for .in differ from UDRP for .com?
INDRP covers .in and other extensions the .IN Registry puts under it. NIXI runs that registry, takes the complaint, and appoints an arbitrator. UDRP covers many generic extensions, including .com, and is filed with an approved provider, not NIXI. Both ask about mark similarity, legitimate interest, and bad faith. Neither replaces a court case.
| INDRP | UDRP | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical names | .in and other extensions the .IN Registry lists under INDRP | .com and other generic extensions that adopted UDRP |
| Where you file | .IN Registry, operated by NIXI | An approved dispute provider |
| Who decides | An arbitrator under the INDRP rules | A panel under the provider's UDRP rules |
| If you chose another extension | Read the policy that registry publishes. Do not assume INDRP or UDRP applies. | |
Who sets the framework for generic domains is explained in what ICANN is. Registering a .in name you actually want is .IN domain registration. If you are still choosing the extension, start with domain registration in India, then read that extension's own dispute policy.
How do you file a domain name dispute complaint?
File where the policy says, not with registrar support. The registrar may later lock or transfer the name. It does not decide. State both parties, the domain, the mark, each side's use, any other case, and the remedy. Transfer and cancellation are different, so name one. Send one complaint per domain unless the current rules expressly allow more.
- Confirm the extension and open the policy the registry publishes for it.
- Collect the mark or name, the date you started using it, and screenshots of the domain as it is used now.
- Complete the forum's complaint form and pay the fee on its current schedule.
- The forum checks the papers, notifies the holder, and appoints an arbitrator or a panel.
- Answer only what that forum asks. A second letter sent only to the registrar does not join the case.
Deadlines and document formats are in the policy and the rules of procedure. This guide does not restate clause numbers, because quoting the wrong clause is worse than sending you to the policy.
How do you protect a brand before a domain dispute starts?
Register names you will use, in extensions customers type, and use them. A trademark filing is a separate brand record that a complaint often has to cite. Watch new lookalike registrations. Locks, transfer codes, and renewals stop a different problem: losing a name you already hold. Those steps are operations, not the dispute.
- Register the exact brand and the obvious misspellings you are willing to pay for. You cannot register every variation.
- Keep the registrant email and the organisation name current, so a notice reaches you.
- Save dated proof of how you use the name: the site, invoices, and the mark filing.
- If a name is already taken and you have a real conflict, use the dispute policy or a lawyer. Do not try to push the holder off the name through the registrar password.
Registrar locks and renewals stay on how to protect a domain name you already own. This page is only the dispute after a conflict exists.
What does a domain name dispute cost?
The fee is whatever the forum's current schedule prints. It changes, and it usually changes again if you add domains or request more than one decision-maker. A lawyer is a separate bill. This page quotes no rupee or dollar figure. Read the schedule before filing, and budget the remedy you are actually requesting.
| Forum | Where the fee is published | What usually changes the fee |
|---|---|---|
| INDRP, for names the .IN Registry covers | The .IN Registry dispute schedule at NIXI | The complaint as the current rules define it, including any hearing the rules still price separately |
| UDRP, for .com and many other generic names | The approved provider you file with | How many names are in the complaint, and whether one panelist or three will decide |
| Any other extension | That registry's own policy | Whatever that policy lists. Do not reuse the INDRP or UDRP fee. |