New Zealand’s Domain Name Commission Launches Online Dispute Resolution Pilot

.nz domain disputes to be resolved quicker and easier in a new partnership with legaltech company, Immediation

The New Zealand’s Domain Name Commission has partnered with online dispute resolution platform, Immediation Pty Ltd, on a six-month pilot project that will help the Commission more quickly and effectively resolve .nz domain disputes.

Specialising in virtual courtroom, mediation and negotiation technology, Immediation, incorporating an exclusive licence of SmartSettle Resolutions Inc., will provide all .nz domain name users with a secure online space to resolve disputes in a more time-efficient and cost-effective manner.

Responsible for regulating the .nz name space and keeping .nz fair for all, the Domain Name Commission helped resolve 1400 consumer enquiries in the last financial year alone in addition to an average of 24 domain name disputes per year. The Domain Name Commission is planning to use the Immediation platform to help resolve the .nz conflicted domain names as well — there are around 2000 conflicted domain names that may be able to be resolved through Immediation.

Brent Carey, Domain Name Commissioner, commented on the news:

“As an appropriate dispute resolution service provider, our goal has been to provide all .nz domain name holders an opportunity to resolve domain name disputes efficiently and cost-effectively.

“We recognise a great opportunity to partner with emerging tech providers and help our .nz domain name industry effectively and conveniently resolve domain name disputes through technology. We are excited to be piloting a new platform and to see what benefits it will bring to our global .nz community.”

Laura Keily, Founder and Managing Director of Immediation, said:

“Immediation’s vision is to make justice more accessible to all. We are proud to support the global .nz domain name community through this pilot and help ensure disputes are addressed efficiently, no matter where users are based.”

The partnership with the Domain Name Commission follows a significant year of growth for the company, which recently launched a Sports and Recreation Complaints and Mediation Service authorised by Sport New Zealand, and in 2020 secured agreements with three of Australia’s top courts, the Federal Court of Australia, the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.

The pilot of the online dispute resolution service will commence in the middle of 2021 and will run for 6 months.

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