Rights Protection Program (RPP)

WTI developed the Rights Protection Program (RPP) to give intellectual property rights holders a streamlined process for submitting complaints regarding domains being listed for sale or being parked with WTI.

Detailed rules for domain sellers and parkers prohibiting to deter use of potentially infringing domains

Suspension of domains to prevent their sale while being investigated

Thorough and prompt review of domains reported to WTI by intellectual property rights owners by WTI staff trained in intellectual property

Cancellation of accounts for repeat offenders

Despite WTI’s best efforts, it is impossible for WTI to monitor and verify the millions of domains that are bought, sold and parked with WTI every year. Intellectual property and trademark law, specifically, often hinge on fact-specific details which are impossible for WTI to review. For these reasons, it is the intellectual property owner’s responsibility to monitor their rights and to file a complaint if they believe these rights have been violated by a WTI user.

Reporting Listings When You Are Not the Rights Owner: Third Party Complaint Policy

Occasionally, WTI receives legal requests from outside parties for information about WTI users. To reach a balance in protecting the rights of WTI users with the legal rights of others, WTI will only accept RPP complaints from a trademark owner or such owner’s legal representative.

Reporting a Domain to WTI

Step One:

If you have a good faith belief that a domain listed for sale or being parked with WTI infringes your copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights, follow the complaint procedures located on our RPP IP Rights Complaint page and mail your signed complaint to the address provided.

Step Two:

After we receive your complaint, both you and the domain owner are sent an email confirmation which will outline the domain in question and the party submitting the complaint. Domain owners are given three days to respond, and within ten days of when the complaint was received, the domain will be reviewed by a WTI staff member trained in intellectual property matters and a decision will be made whether to remove the domain in question at which time both the complainant and the domain owner will be notified via email.

Step Three:

If a decision has been made to remove the listing from the domain database, for the domain to be re-listed they will be required to provide written proof of their ownership of the domain free of any legal dispute. If a decision has been made not to remove the domain, the complaining party will not be allowed to resubmit their complaint unless they can allege new facts unknown during their initial complaint.

If you have any questions regarding the RPP, please email us for more information at info@wti-domains.com