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GlossaryIndustry bodies

WIPO

WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, is the United Nations agency for intellectual property; its Arbitration and Mediation Center in Geneva handles thousands of UDRP domain name disputes each year.

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Also called World Intellectual Property Organization · WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

WIPO, explained

WIPO was established in 1967 and created the UDRP, which ICANN adopted in 1999. Its center, set up in 1994, has handled more than 80,000 domain name cases over 25 years, including a record 6,282 in 2025. It is one of five providers ICANN approves for UDRP cases, alongside the Forum, the Czech Arbitration Court, CIIDRC and ADNDRC, and the complainant chooses the provider. WIPO also resolves disputes for 87 country-code domains, and .ai was among the three ccTLDs with the most WIPO cases in 2025.

For investors, WIPO matters because its decisions are public, searchable and widely followed. Its Overview 3.1 summarizes how panels read the policy, including that holding dictionary-word, acronym and common-phrase names for resale can be legitimate. A single-panelist case covering one to five domain names costs the complainant 1,500 US dollars in WIPO fees. If a complaint names you, you have 20 days to respond, and you should consult a qualified attorney.

Example. The complainant filed its case with WIPO, and the panel's decision was published on WIPO's site, where anyone can read the reasoning.

Go deeper Is Domain Flipping Legal? Investing vs. Cybersquatting

Sources

  1. WIPO — About WIPO
  2. WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center — Background
  3. WIPO — 2025 marks record-breaking year for WIPO domain name disputes (Jan 14, 2026)
  4. Domain Name Wire — WIPO handles record number of domain disputes in 2025 (Jan 15, 2026)
  5. ICANN — List of approved dispute resolution service providers
  6. ICANN — Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (adopted Aug 26, 1999)
  7. WIPO — Overview 3.1 of WIPO panel views on selected UDRP questions
  8. WIPO — Schedule of fees under the UDRP
  9. ICANN — Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy

Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.

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