The auDRP process

A formal dispute policy is in place to address disputes between parties with competing legal rights to a .au domain name licence.

Disputes about legal rights to .au domain name licences are handled under the .au Dispute Resolution Policy (auDRP).

The auDRP provides a faster, more affordable alternative to legal action to resolve disputes, including intellectual property disputes, between a .au domain name licence holder (registrant) and a party with competing rights to the .au domain name licence.

Where someone believes another party’s .au domain name licence infringes their intellectual property rights, they can lodge a dispute under the auDRP.

Lodging an auDRP dispute

Before lodging a dispute, the complainant must read the auDRP to identify the information required to support their claim and how that claim will be assessed.

A complainant must lodge a dispute with one of the two independent resolution providers (auDRP providers) approved by auDA:

The dispute process

auDRP proceedings database

auDA maintains a database of proceedings under the auDRP, with links to outcomes where applicable.

Overview of auDRP decisions

The auDRP Overview is a collection of consensus views of auDRP panels on key legal and procedural issues under the auDRP.

The first edition of the auDRP Overview covers approximately 330 auDRP decisions from 1 August 2002 to 15 July 2014. The second auDRP Overview covers the more than 600 auDRP decisions from 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2022.

The auDRP Overviews have been produced for auDA by Dr Andrew F Christie, Foundation Professor of Intellectual Property at Melbourne Law School. The format is based on the UDRP Overview produced by WIPO.

auDRP Overviews

Domain name creation date request

Request the creation date of a .au domain name licence as part of an auDRP or Australian court proceeding.

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