Re: [ga] Reuters: Net name dispute body gets first case

["Bret A. Fausett" <baf@fausett.com>]

Michael Sondow wrote:

>> It would be very bad form for the name of the domain name registrant to be
>> made public until the registrant itself had received notice and been
>> afforded the opportunity to prepare a response.
> 
> Why is that, Bret? Civil complaints in the U.S. are public as soon
> as their filed, aren't they?

Of course. 

While I have still have remaining concerns about the UDRP, keeping the
identities of the parties quiet for the first 20 days is not among them.
Think of it as a cooling off period, during which the parties can discuss
settlement and the domain name registrant can decide what it wants to do
outside the pressurized environment of public scrutiny. And it's only 20
days. Eventually, the identity of the parties and decision itself (See,
Section 16(b) of Rules) will be made public.

Of course, either party can elect to file an action in Court, in which case
the pleadings would be publicly available in many jurisdictions (including
the U.S., as you point out).

     -- Bret