Pharma complaints dominate WIPO’s cybersquatting watchdog

INTERNATIONAL – Domain name disputes over pharmaceutical-related websites featured strongly in cybersquatting disputes in 2009, said the World Intellectual Property Organization. “As in past years, pharmaceutical manufacturers brought the largest number of cases due to permutations of protected names on websites offering or linking to online sales of medications,” said WIPO. WIPO’s domain name dispute resolution service acts as an arbiter for trademark disputes concerning web addresses. In 2009, the UN body recorded 4,688 complaints, up from 3,985 the year before.