FAQs and Technical Questions
General
  • Who is the FORUM and what authorization do you have to conduct these proceedings?
    The FORUM is a neutral dispute resolution company. We’ve been accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to handle disputes that arise from the registration of domain names. Anyone who has registered a domain name in a generic top level domain (like .com, .net, or .org) has already agreed to participate in this process. The person who is claiming trademark infringement agrees to the process when they file their complaint.
  • What is the dispute resolution process? What do you do?
    The dispute resolution process, usually a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP") process was designed to be a fast process of settling disputes over trademark rights to domain names. The Forum processes the paperwork, makes sure everyone has the documentation, and appoints the panel, who is an independent contractor.
  • Is there a person I can talk to at the Forum about my case?
    Each case has a case coordinator assigned to direct it through the process. This person is the one whose name and email address appear at the bottom of emails sent to you and is assigned after a complaint is filed. Your case coordinator is happy to answer any questions you may have, but may not provide any legal advice. Questions they can answer include "where do I find the form I need" and "how much longer until I need to do something else." Coordinators are best reached by email; remember the other party should be copied on any correspondence to the Forum about a case, after that case is filed. If you have a general question and have not filed a case, please send your question to domaindispute@adrforum.com.
  • How do I pay by credit card? What information must I supply?
    When you file your complaint or response online, you will be prompted to pay online. This is the most secure way to pay. If you need to pay for an extension or missed paying online, you can send an email to your case coordinator or a fax to 612-235-3355. Include the name on the card, the full card number, the expiration date, the amount you want charged (it’s helpful if you say what type of fee you want to pay), and a signature.
  • Can I send a check for the fees due? To which address? When is payment due?
    You may pay by check, but deadlines are very tight and your submission is not considered complete until we’ve received payment. It’s possible your case may be dismissed or your submission considered incomplete if payment is delayed. We will not begin working on your case until payment is received. If you choose to pay by check, you can send the check to:

    FedEx, UPS, or Overnight Mailings (recommended):
    FORUM
    6465 Wayzata Blvd. #470
    St. Louis Park, MN 55426
    USA

    Regular US Post:
    FORUM
    PO Box 50191
    Minneapolis, MN 55405
    USA
  • Can you remove my name from the decision posted on your website?
    No, the cases on the website are closed. If you want the Panel to determine if your name may be redacted from a case you are currently involved in, you need to make that request during the proceedings in your formal submissions.
  • Can you remove the entire decision posted on your website?
    No, the Policies and Rules that require us to post decisions require that the decisions be posted in their entirety, except for exceptional circumstances in which a Panel may decide to redact portions of the decision. A few Rulesets do not require us to post decisions online, and for those, we do not.
  • What file formats do you accept?
    See the Annex to the Supplemental Rules located at http://domain.adrforum.com/main.aspx?itemID=631&hideBar=False&navID=237&news=26 for the most current list of acceptable file types.
  • Can I get a list of all the country code cases you handle? (.tv, .me, .ws, etc.)
    We do not currently have a list available. We handle any country code that as adopted the UDRP and has not otherwise specified specific providers. Usually this information can be found on the website of the Registry for the country code. If you are not sure, please email us at domaindispute@adrforum.com and we will help figure it out.
  • Where do I find a copy of the ICANN UDRP Policy?
    The UDRP can be found on ICANN’s website (www.icann.org) at this link: http://www.icann.org/en/dndr/udrp/policy.htm. All of the Policies we handle are located at various places, but you can access them all from our list here: http://domain.adrforum.com/main.aspx?itemID=599&hideBar=False&navID=201&news=26.
  • Can I get copies of pleadings from old cases?
    If you are a party to the case, email us at domaindispute@adrforum.com (preferably from an email address associated with the case you had with us) and give us your name and contact information and the Forum file number (FA number) associated with that case. We may require an affidavit or other evidence of your identity, but can usually provide the pleadings from a case you were a party to without too much trouble.

    If you are not a party to the case, we will require a subpoena for case documents. Email us at domaindispute@adrforum.com for information on where to direct the subpoena.

    If you are a party to the case, but you want more of the case file than the pleadings, you will also need a subpoena.
  • Can I appeal my case if I lose?
    Yes, the Policies provide for either party to bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction (which may or may not be limited to the mutual jurisdiction selection of Complainant in the complaint) before, during, or after a domain dispute case. If you are a Respondent and lose, you have to bring your court action within ten (10) business days of the UDRP decision to prevent the registrar from implementing the decision. If the ten days have elapsed, you may still file, but the Registrar might not be prevented from transferring the domain name per the panel’s order.
  • Where do I find the forms I need for preparing my filing/response?
    Model complaint and response forms, as well as model stay and dismissal requests, can be found on our website by selecting the proper ruleset on the left hand panel at http://domains.adrforum.com and then scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Filing a Complaint
Technical Questions
  • I'm having troubles with your online system, what do I need to do?
    Please review the following helpful tips before contacting us:
    • The site supports Windows Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari (for Mac or PC), but works best in Internet Explorer or Chrome. If you are having trouble in one browser, try another one.
    • Some of the applications use Adobe’s Flash or Microsoft’s Silverlight. If you don’t have one of those installed (such as on an iPad), you could encounter problems. You will need to switch to a computer that has one of those programs. You can install Flash or Silverlight for free.
    • Please be sure to file as a Guest unless you are sure you have a Portal login sent to you by the Forum.
    • If you are uploading documents, be sure you’ve consulted Annex A to the Supplemental Rules. File types not permitted by our Supplemental Rules may not be uploaded.
    • If you get to the end of the submission process and you’ve paid a fee with a credit card and receive a "transaction declined" message, there is a problem with the credit card processing. If you are certain you have sufficient funds available, please contact your credit card company to determine why they’ve transmitted an error code to us.
    • If you get to the end of a submisson and are redirected to the start page without getting a confirmation screen or confirmation email, it’s highly unlikely your case was submitted. Please try again. If you enter the domain name and receive a message that there is already a case with that domain name in the system, then you’ll know the submission was received. If not, please continue with refiling.
    • If you have an Amended Complaint or other document to file, you may do so via email. Otherwise, you may request a Portal account (from your case coordinator). Once on the Portal, you can upload all documents and requests, and pay any fees online, as well as manage all of your cases electronically from one dashboard.
  • I'm still having problems after reviewing your tips, how do I contact you?
    Please send an email to DDtech@adrforum.com with as much of the following information as you can:
    1. What were you trying to do? (Be as specific as possible: "I was clicking 'upload doc'" or "I was entering my domain names by copying and pasting."). If you can copy/paste the URL for the page you were on, it would help.
    2. Provide a "screen shot" of the error you saw. To obtain this, with the error message showing on your screen, hit the "print scrn" or "prt sc" key on your computer (sometimes you need to hold or press "control" or "function" ("fn") first). Open an email, a Word doc, or a Powerpoint presentation and press "control+ v" (or right click and select paste) to paste the screen shot into the document.
    3. What date/time/timezone were you trying to use the website?
    4. How many times did you try it?
    5. Are you using a Mac or PC?
    6. What is your Internet browser?
    7. Were you able to work around the issue for now (perhaps by filing manually or emailing the extra documents, etc)?