Domain Disputes: Someone Registered Your Brand Name

If someone else registered a domain that matches your brand, the route to reclaim it depends on the extension. For a .com or other global domain, ICANN's UDRP lets a trademark owner win it back by proving three things. For a .my domain, MYNIC's MYDRP, run by the AIAC in Kuala Lumpur, uses two. Neither awards money; both can transfer or cancel the name.

First, what kind of dispute is this?

Two situations feel identical but have different answers, so separate them before you act.

One is a stranger, often called a cybersquatter, registering a name tied to your brand. The other is your own former agency or developer holding a domain you paid for.

This article is about the first. If your own vendor holds your domain, that is a contract matter, not a trademark dispute, and it is covered in who should own your domain.

The formal policies below exist for the cybersquatting case. Someone with no legitimate claim registered a name that collides with your trademark, and you want it back. A WHOIS lookup tells you who holds it, or that the details are redacted.

The UDRP route for .com and global domains

For .com, .net, .org, and other global domains, the process is ICANN's Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, the UDRP. A trademark owner files a complaint, and a panel decides.

ICANN's policy requires the complainant to prove all three of these:

• the domain is "identical or confusingly similar to a trademark ... in which the complainant has rights";
• the holder has "no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name"; and
• the domain "has been registered and is being used in bad faith".

The word "and" in the third point carries weight. Under the UDRP, bad faith must cover both the registration and the use, which sets a high bar.

Most UDRP cases run through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which calls itself the global leader in domain name dispute resolution. A single-panelist case covering one to five domains costs USD 1,500, about RM6,100, paid by the complainant (WIPO, October 2026). WIPO says a standard case is normally completed within two months, and a one-month expedited option costs USD 4,000. The only outcomes are transfer or cancellation, never money.

The MYDRP route for .my domains

For .my and .com.my domains, disputes follow MYNIC's .MY Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, the MYDRP. It is administered by the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) in Kuala Lumpur, and its stated purpose is "simple, fast and affordable resolution of .MY Domain Name disputes".

The MYDRP is easier for a brand owner than the UDRP, in two concrete ways.

It has two elements to prove, not three. The complainant shows the domain is identical or confusingly similar to their mark, and that it "has been registered or is being used in bad faith". Whether the holder has a legitimate interest is the holder's defense to raise, not the complainant's burden.

Its bad-faith test also uses "or", not "and". Registration in bad faith is enough on its own, and so is use in bad faith. That lower bar makes a .my cybersquatting case more winnable.

Like the UDRP, the MYDRP awards no damages. A panel can only transfer or delete the domain.

	UDRP (.com and gTLDs)	MYDRP (.my)
Administrator	WIPO and others	AIAC, Kuala Lumpur
Elements to prove	Three	Two
Bad-faith test	Registered and used	Registered or used
Legitimate interest	Complainant must disprove	Holder's defense
Remedy	Transfer or cancel	Transfer or delete

Before you file: the lower-cost first steps

A formal filing is not always the first move. It costs money and time, and it only works when you hold a genuine trademark.

Register your trademark if you have not. A dispute policy protects a mark you own, and without one you have little to stand on.

Sometimes buying the domain is faster than fighting for it, especially when the holder is not a bad-faith squatter. A domain broker can approach the owner anonymously and negotiate a price. And if the name has simply lapsed, watch for it to expire, though a valuable name may be caught by others first.

In our experience, lapsed and expired-domain trouble is a recurring domain problem, which is why a renewal you control matters as much as a registered mark.

Frequently asked questions

Can I claim a domain just because it uses my business name?

No, not automatically. You need a trademark right, and you must show the holder acted in bad faith with no legitimate interest of their own. A common word, or a name another business genuinely uses, is not cybersquatting. The dispute policies protect trademark rights, not every use of a similar-sounding name, which is why a registered mark is the strongest foundation for any claim.

How much does a UDRP case cost?

A single-panelist WIPO case for one to five domains costs USD 1,500, about RM6,100, and the complainant pays it. A three-member panel costs more. That fee covers a case WIPO normally completes within two months. It does not include your own legal help, so if you hire a lawyer to prepare the complaint, budget that on top. The losing holder pays nothing toward your costs.

Is the .my dispute process different from .com?

Yes, and it is easier for a brand owner. The MYDRP needs two elements instead of three, and its bad-faith test is "registered or used", not "registered and used". It is run by the AIAC in Kuala Lumpur rather than WIPO. The ending is the same in both systems: the domain is transferred or removed, with no money awarded either way.

What if my own agency registered my domain?

That is not a cybersquatting dispute, it is a contract and ownership matter. The UDRP and MYDRP are built for strangers who target your trademark, not a vendor you hired and paid. Your route there is a written transfer request and, if it stalls, a lawyer. Settling ownership in your own name at the start is what prevents this, as covered in who should own your domain.

Can I just buy the domain instead of disputing it?

Often yes, and sometimes faster. If the holder is not a bad-faith squatter, a negotiated purchase avoids a filing entirely, and a broker can handle it without revealing that your brand is the buyer. Weigh the likely price against the cost and time of a dispute. Buying is usually the cleaner path when your trademark claim is weak or the name is simply valuable.

Get the name right from the start

Storming Solutions builds custom-coded websites and maintains existing WordPress sites for businesses across Kuala Lumpur and the rest of Malaysia. We set up domains so a dispute is less likely in the first place. We are not lawyers, so a formal UDRP or MYDRP filing belongs with trademark counsel. What we do is get the ownership and records right from day one.

Found your brand parked on a domain you do not control? Tell us what you are seeing, and read which domain you should own so the next one is registered clean. Our web development work puts every name in your business's own hands, which is the simplest dispute defense there is.