It is essential for rights-holders today to know the means at their disposal in order to contact third parties who have filed potentially litigious domain names. Similarly, it is equally important for them to know the tools and procedures they can use to manage disputes when the search for an amicable solution is not possible or has been unsuccessful.
The Guide for Rights-Holders, released today by Afnic as part of the French Registry’s series of special reports, answers all of these issues for domain names filed under the .fr TLD. Starting with an overview of the operation of the domain name system, the document specifies the role of Afnic and describes the various procedures and services, both free and fee-paying, made available to rights-holders by the Registry for the .fr TLD.
You will learn for example the differences between the suspension and blocking of domain names, as well as the legal basis and procedures for using the Syreli dispute resolution system – an increasingly popular means of protection for rights-holders and their legal advisors – implemented by Afnic since November 2011.
To download file # 10:
About Afnic
Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.
In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.
Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.