The Freename Forum

The East African country Rwanda has entrusted its country extension .rw to the arbitration jurisdiction of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Starting in December 2024, disputes over .rw domains can be resolved out of court by WIPO's domain experts. The procedure is based on the “.RW Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy”. It is closely based on the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), but it is sufficient, for example, for bad faith to be present either upon registration or upon use, whereas the UDRP requires both cumulatively. In terms of fees, however, there is no difference to a classic UDRP dispute; they start at US$ 1,500 and are subsequently based on the number of domains in dispute and the number of panelists requested. In addition, it is still possible to take a dispute to an ordinary civil court in Rwanda at any time. The inclusion of .rw domains in WIPO's jurisdiction is good news for trademark owners, as it provides them with an effective, inexpensive and reliable tool to quickly stop infringements.

Further information on the dispute resolution procedure for .rw domains can be found at:
https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/new/rw.html