Nominet calls in experts to resolve disputes

The UK national domain name registry Nominet has announced plans to recruit up to 30 dispute resolution experts, to settle cases where mediation has failed to bring about a resolution.

The initiative follows a recent revision to the body's dispute resolution service. Nominet is seeking dispute resolution experts who preferably have a legal background, to make a judgement where the two parties involved fail to agree. The new recruits will also be required to have a good understanding of the Internet, and a general knowledge of the domain name system. A fixed fee of £750 will be offered for each case.

"We'll be looking for examples of where they have acted independently, with some dispute experience in any approved field," said Lesley Cowley, operations director at Nominet.

Nominet estimates that one in every 2000 UK domain name cases results in dispute. "A lot are genuinely innocent clashes, where partners fall out over a domain name for example -- divorces and cybersquatting also cause problems," explained Cowley. Under the revised dispute service, the complaint will initially be mediated by Nominet in order to try and reach a solution between the parties involved. When mediation doesn't succeed, the experts will be brought in.

"Our experts will be expected to evaluate the submissions from both sides and provide a written decision within a specified time frame," said Dr Willie Black, managing director of Nominet.

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