Significant changes to .uk domain disputes

Nominet has announced a significant change to the administration of its .UK Dispute Resolution Service (DRS). From 7 July 2026, DRS cases will be administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as part of Nominet's wider .UK standardisation programme. 

Importantly, the fundamentals of the DRS remain unchanged: the DRS Policy, expert panel, mediation service, appeals process and fee structure all stay the same. One welcome change for complainants is that DRS fees submitted through WIPO will no longer be subject to VAT.

For practitioners and brand owners, the most notable operational change is that new DRS complaints will be filed and managed through WIPO's platform, with both historic and future decisions becoming searchable via WIPO's website.

A practical point to note: cases filed before 7 July 2026 will continue to be administered by Nominet, but any draft complaints remaining in Nominet's Online Services that have not been submitted by the transfer date will be deleted. Practitioners and brand owners with draft cases may therefore wish to export their drafts and consider refiling through WIPO's platform, particularly given the VAT saving available under the new administration model.

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From 7th July 2026, administration of DRS cases will transfer to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an established global provider of domain dispute resolution services.

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