Overview
The quasi-private authority controlling ownership of all domain names is called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN established a procedure for resolving domain name disputes called the Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP). In cases involving such disputes, clients have the option to have Kirton McConkie intellectual property attorneys file complaints on a traditional or contingency fee basis. Here is how the options differ:
- With the traditional option, a client pays a $3,500 flat fee for filing a UDRP complaint.
- With the contingency option, an escrow of $6,000 is set up with Kirton McConkie. If successful, the money is paid to the firm as a legal fee. Otherwise, it is returned to the client, in full.
Though the second option is potentially more expensive for the client, the firm takes all the risk until a case is successfully resolved and earns a premium for the risk taken.
Regardless of the option chosen, clients are also responsible for hard costs incurred, which includes the filing fee for a complaint. Currently, the filing fee for a UDRP complaint is $1,300 for a single-member panel and $2,600 for a three-member panel. The fees may increase depending on the number of domain names in dispute.