If you find that someone is using a name affiliated with you (e.g. your company's name) as their Domain name, it is, under some circumstances, possible to reclaim control of the domain. This is undertaken via the New Zealand Domain Name Commissioner, and not the Domain registrar.

Generally, you must be able to prove:

  • That you were using the name associated with the Domain before the Domain was registered, and are legally entitled to use the name, and
  • That the registrant has registered the domain simply for the purpose of selling or renting the domain, blocking other's registrations or disrupting business, or
  • The registrant is using the Domain name to mislead visitors, or
  • The Domain has been registered with false contact details, or
  • The registrant has registered a series of Domains, with well known trademarks, of which the registrant has no rights, and the disputed domain is part of this pattern.

Just because the Domain has been registered and is not being used to host a website or email is not grounds that the Domains should be made available for others to use.

This document should not be taken as an absolute on the DNC's stance on Domain dispute resolution. For more information, please visit the Domain Name Commissioner's Dispute Resolution Service page.