The help section is intended to give practical guidance in how to complete the complaint form. It is not intended to provide legal advice for specific cases, and you are encouraged to obtain your own independent advice if you are unsure how to complete the forms.
Making your complaint
If you have an existing .uk domain name and you want to submit a complaint via the DRS you will need to log in to your
Online Services account. From here select the 'DRS’ service and 'Create a New Dispute'.
The account holder will be automatically named as the 'complainant'. You can add multiple complainants and/or a representative later in the creation process.
If you have not already activated your account please follow the instructions on
logging in.
If you do not have an existing account or are acting as a representative you need to create an account in order to proceed.
Creating a new account
When creating an account in the 'New Account Details' screen, the details that are entered into the 'Account Name' will be taken as the lead complainant. The contact details will be used to serve all correspondence. If your complaint is successful it is the entity listed in the Account Name that the domain name will be transferred to.
If you are a representative creating an account on behalf of your client, you should:
- Enter your client's details in the account details and address details sections. The account name will be the named complainant in the dispute.
- Enter your own name and email address in the administrative contact details section. This will allow you to continue creating the complaint straight away on behalf of your client.
You will be able to add your contact details later in the process and elect to receive all correspondence relating to the case.
Proceed to the
complaint form here.
Questions on the form:
Enter the Complainant's details
This information will be automatically populated from your account contact details, the address and contact information can be changed at this point. You can not change the name of the account holder.
If you are a representative you will be able to add your contact details later in the process and elect to receive all correspondence relating to the case.
More than one person or entity may jointly make a complaint. Where this occurs the joint complainants must specify one of the complainants or a single representative, who will be the lead complainant. The lead complainant will receive all correspondence on behalf of all of the complainants and is entitled to act on behalf of them all. You can add the additional complainants later in the creation process.
Disputed domain name(s) Please list all domain names which you wish to dispute. Please note that a single complaint can include multiple domain names, as long as they are held by the SAME Registrant.
You should only include domain names which end in .uk (eg .co.uk or .org.uk) in your complaint. Domain names which have other endings (eg .com, .org. and .net) are subject to different procedures.
Additional registrant's details
The complaint will automatically be served to the contact information we hold on our register, you do not need to enter these details. However, if any other contact details are known to you, you can provide these.
Describe your Complaint
This is the most crucial part of the complaint form. You have (up to) 5,000 words to state your case in the boxes provided and you are allowed to attach evidence in addition to that. Remember that the Independent Expert will make their decision on your case based on what is written here (plus any attached evidence) you must not assume that they will do any research into your case and you do not have any opportunities to bring in new evidence later.
You may have the opportunity to file a 'Reply' to the Registrants 'Response', but the Reply is only for answering new points that the Respondent raised, not raising new things.
Remedies Requested
It is important to request the outcome that you want, the most common are as follows:
Transfer: This means that, should your complaint be upheld, the domain name(s) will be transferred to you. This will give you the legal authority to use the domain name (i.e. for e-mail and web access) and to make changes to the domain name(s) record. For joint complainants, you should request which name you want given to which complainant. The Expert does not have to follow your request if they do not want to.
Cancellation: If your complaint is upheld, the domain name will be removed from the Register of .uk domain names. This means it will, once cancelled, immediately become available for any party (including, potentially, the Respondent or an associate of the Respondent) to register on a first-come, first-served basis.
Suspension: If the complaint is upheld then the name stays registered to the current registrant, and can be renewed by them, however it is disconnected from the Internet and cannot be used in any way. Should the registrant fail to renew the domain name then it will be cancelled (see cancellation above). The length of time the domain name is suspended for is at the discretion of the expert.
Legal Proceedings
Please inform us if the Domain Name is the subject of legal proceedings, and if so, tell us the outcome of the proceedings.
Add supporting evidence
It is vital that you refer to evidence in your complaint. All evidence can be attached electronically. If you are unable to provide electronic attachments then you can indicate on the online form that paper annexes are to follow. These must be indexed and provided in triplicate (3 copies), they must arrive with us within 3 working days of submitting your online complaint.
Dispute Resolution Service
Nominet UK
Minerva House
Edmund Halley Road
Oxford Science Park
Oxford
OX4 4DQ
If you indicate that you do not intend to attach annexes, we will not accept any annexes in respect of your complaint, but will open a dispute on the basis of your electronic submission.
Jurisdiction
Please ensure that you have read and understood this section. You must tick the box to say that you agree to this statement in order to comply with paragraph 3(c)(viii) of the Procedure.
Declarations
Please ensure that you have read and understood this section. You must tick the box to say that you agree to this statement in order to comply with paragraph 3(c)(ix) of the Procedure.
Submitting the Complaint You will have to click 'Submit' to send the electronic copy. If all evidence has been submitted electrionically you do not need to send any thing further to us. If you are sending paper annexes these must be indexed and provided in triplicate (3 copies), they must arrive with us within 3 working days of submitting your online complaint.
What happens next?
Once we have validated your complaint all further communications will be sent to you by email. Copies of all communications will also be accessible in your online services account. Select the 'DRS’ service and 'Your Disputes'.