How do you file a UDRP complaint?

What are the three elements you must prove?

You must prove all three elements of paragraph 4(a) of the policy: a similar mark, no legitimate interest, and bad faith. The policy text, published by ICANN, requires that the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which you have rights, that the registrant has no rights or legitimate interests in the name, and that the name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

Paragraph 4(b) lists circumstances that count as evidence of bad faith: registering to sell the name to the mark owner or a competitor above documented costs; registering to block the owner from reflecting the mark, as part of a pattern; registering to disrupt a competitor; and using the name to attract users for gain by creating confusion with your mark. The list is not exhaustive. A phishing page that copies your login falls in the last group, because it exploits confusion with your mark.

How much does a UDRP complaint cost, and who decides?

WIPO charges USD 1,500 for one to five domains with a single panelist and USD 4,000 with three; Forum starts at USD 1,330 for one or two domains. The table above has the full schedule. The fees are paid by the complainant at filing. The WIPO page is headed with a 2002 validity date but is the live schedule, so confirm the amount with the provider on the day you file.

A single panelist is the cheaper option. Adding up the cost is the reason to read the cost of defensive registration before an incident: a set of your own variants costs less than one complaint.

How long does a UDRP case take?

The rules set short steps, and a standard case runs for about two months from filing to implementation. The sum below uses the ICANN rules: the provider checks the complaint and forwards it within three calendar days of receiving the fee; the respondent has 20 days to respond, with four extra calendar days available on request; the provider appoints a single panelist within five calendar days of the response; and the panel sends its decision within 14 days of appointment, absent exceptional circumstances. The provider communicates the decision within three business days, and the registrar waits ten business days after notice before it implements, unless the respondent shows it has sued in court.

That adds up to roughly two months. WIPO's expedited service aims at a decision within one month from filing, at USD 4,000 for one to five domains. A UDRP gives two remedies only: cancellation or transfer of the domain. It awards no damages.

What can you do while the case runs?

Ask the registrar to keep the domain locked, and keep reporting the site. A UDRP provider asks the registrar to lock the domain once a complaint is filed. At Wardmint, a domain is locked within 2 business days of a request from a UDRP provider, and we release the data we hold only when Panamanian law requires it (a Panamanian court or prosecutor's order), or in a UDRP case.

A UDRP is slower than an abuse report, so run both. The take-down guide shows the order of contacts, and UDRP vs URS explains the faster procedure that applies to new extensions only.

What does a defensive set cost against one complaint?

A defensive core set costs less per year than a single WIPO complaint. According to Wardmint's survey of 12 November 2026, the core set of .com, .net, .org, .io, .xyz, .app costs $128.94 a year, against USD 1,500 for one WIPO filing with a single panelist; the three-year cost of the set is $386.82. A complaint recovers one domain you do not own; a set stops the next one from being free to register. Wardmint registers your own variants and does not run monitoring or legal filings.