IT WILL HAVE YOU IN RUPTURES ...

A couple of weeks ago the IPKat obtained a copy of a book he was not looking forward to reading but which, he must concede, is really very good. Readers of this blog will know how infrequently the IPKat reviews disputes involving domain names, since it is a subject that rarely sets him purring with contentment. Nor does he appreciate books that are heavier than he is -- and 1,500 pages of Domain Name Law and Practice (edited by Torsten Bettinger) is a dead weight in anyone's hand. Having said that, this book offers a remarkably comprehensive and even interesting analysis of the vast corpus of law, custom, practice and superstition surrounding the regulation of domain names. To keep it current, there's a companion website.

According to the publishers' information, this tome

"contains all the information practitioners need to advise their clients on domain name registration and dispute resolution;
* detailed analysis of the relationship between domain names and existing trade mark law and practice;
* in depth coverage of both the UDRP and 27 key national regimes, plus analysis of the new ".eu" TLD;
* written by an expert contributor team including specialists from the US, the UK and Germany, thereby offering a rounded and reliable treatment of the subject ;
* key developments in law and practice post-publication will be noted up on a companion website for the book, accessible to all purchasers, so as to maintain its currency and value.

This work, edited and written by leading experts in the fields of domain name dispute resolution and trade mark law from around the world, provides a comprehensive analysis of the law and practice relating to internet domain names at an international level, combined with a detailed survey of the 27 most important domain name jurisdictions worldwide, including the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, China, Singapore, Russia, Canada and Australia. A particular strength of the book is its in-depth country-by-country focus upon how domain names relate to existing trade mark law, and upon the developing case-law in this field, as well as the alternative dispute resolution procedures in the respective ccTLDs.

It assembles detailed information about the registration of domain names at national, regional and international levels, analysis of the dispute resolution processes at each of those levels, and strategic guidance on how to manage domain names as part of an overall brand strategy. The authors also analyse panelist decisions under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and the registration procedures and alternative dispute resolution procedure for the new European top level domain '.eu'. "

The list of contributors is very impressive. Tony Willoughby provides the UK chapter; Sally M. Abel the US. Other authors and co-authors of chanpters include Pravin Anand (India), Alain Strowel ()Belgium), George Souter (Finland) and Tan Tee Jim (Singapore).

Tony Willoughby and Sally M. Abel, authors of the UK and UK chapters

At £165 this book is not a casual read, but it's pretty reasonably priced for what it is. What's more, being so heavy, it's sure to have the reader in ruptures ...