Filing a .uk domain dispute
A .uk domain dispute runs under Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service, not the UDRP, and every new complaint has been filed through WIPO's website since WIPO took over administering the DRS on Nominet's behalf on 7 July 2026. The test has two parts: rights in a name, and that the domain is an Abusive Registration, decided on the balance of probabilities.
How is this different from a UDRP complaint?
Different policy, same administrator now. .uk domains run under Nominet's own DRS
Policy, not the ICANN UDRP. Nominet still owns that policy, but since 7 July 2026 WIPO
administers the service on Nominet's behalf, using the same expert panellists and the
same fee schedule, and every new complaint has to be filed through WIPO's website rather
than Nominet's own.
The test is framed differently too. Instead of the UDRP's three separate elements, the DRS asks two questions: do you have rights in a name or mark identical or similar to the domain, and is the domain, in the respondent's hands, an "Abusive Registration." Both have to be shown on the balance of probabilities, the ordinary civil standard.
| Nominet DRS (.uk) | UDRP | |
|---|---|---|
| Policy owner | Nominet | ICANN |
| Administered by | WIPO since 7 July 2026, on Nominet's behalf | WIPO, Forum, the Czech Arbitration Court and others |
| What you prove | Rights in a name, and an Abusive Registration | Three elements of Policy paragraph 4(a) |
| Bad faith timing | Registration or use, either is enough | Registration and use, both required |
| Rights that count | Rights enforceable by the complainant, under English law or otherwise | Trademark or service mark rights |
| Standard | Balance of probabilities | Balance of probabilities |
| Mediation | Yes, run by Nominet staff | No |
| Appeal | An appeal to a three-person panel | None. A court action is the only route |
| Official fee | £200 Summary decision, £750 full decision | $1,500 at WIPO, 1 to 5 domains |
WIPO announced the handover in its notice Changes to Dispute Resolution for .UK: the same experts, the same DRS Policy, Nominet-run mediation and the same fee schedule. Cases filed with Nominet before 7 July 2026 stay with Nominet until they finish.
What counts as an "Abusive Registration"?
A domain that was either registered or acquired in a way that took unfair advantage of
your rights, or has been used in a way that does. That "or" puts the DRS closer to the
.eu ADR Rules than to the UDRP: a domain acquired in good faith but used abusively
later can still be an Abusive Registration, where the same facts would not satisfy the
UDRP's requirement that bad faith exist at registration and at use.
The rights threshold is also broader than a trademark. Any rights recognised under English law can qualify, not only a registered mark, which brings genuine common law and passing-off rights within reach in a way the UDRP's stricter approach to unregistered rights does not always allow for.
What does it cost?
WIPO charges under the same two-tier fee Nominet used before the handover: a Summary decision costs £200, and a full Expert decision, the closer equivalent to a reasoned UDRP panel decision, costs £750. No VAT applies to either, since the 7 July 2026 handover from Nominet to WIPO. Confirm the current figure at filing, since fee schedules are revised periodically.
On top of that, our fee is €1,050, covering case assessment, evidence gathering, drafting the complaint, filing it with WIPO and seeing the decision through with the registry. Both amounts exclude VAT and are payable up front.
How long does it take?
Under Nominet's DRS Policy, which still governs the process, mediation typically runs about 10 days once both sides agree to it, and where a case goes to a full decision, the Expert has 15 working days from appointment to decide. A straightforward case can resolve in around 40 days from filing; a fully reasoned decision can take longer, closer to 8 to 12 weeks end to end.
What we do
Case assessment, evidence gathering, drafting the complaint under the DRS Policy rather than the UDRP Rules, filing it with WIPO, and handling mediation and the decision stage through to completion. The same honest assessment applies here as with any domain dispute: if the rights or Abusive Registration elements do not hold up, we say so before you pay a filing fee to find out.