Navigating the landscape of the .au Dispute Resolution Policy as it enters its second decade

The .au Dispute Resolution Policy (auDRP) came into effect in 2002. The purpose of the auDRP is to provide an alternative to litigation for the quicker and cheaper resolution of disputes between the registrant of an .au domain name and a party with competing rights in the domain name. The auDRP appears to have been an effective method for resolving disputes, and since its inception some 344 auDRP decisions have been decided under the policy. As there have been no comprehensive studies to date providing data on the growing body of auDRP proceedings and practice which has evolved since 2002, the aim of this article is to begin to fill a gap in knowledge in Australian domain name law as a distinct and developing body of law