New Zealand's .nz revises dispute resolution rules
Thu 29. Aug 2024, 18:33
The New Zealand Domain Name Commission (DNC) is planning changes to the out-of-court dispute resolution procedure for .nz domains. Introduced around 20 years ago, changes are needed to reflect current best practice. The first planned change concerns a cultural peculiarity of New Zealand; in future, a party can request that a ‘tikanga Māori’ cultural support framework be applied, which is derived from traditional knowledge. Of greater practical significance is the fact that the complainant will in future be able to choose whether they want a mediation process or a contested decision by ‘expert determination’. The choice will have an impact on the evidence to be submitted and on the requirements for the respondent's answer. Furthermore, in the event of an appeal, the need to submit a notice of appeal together with a non-refundable deposit is to be abolished. The appellant simply submits an online appeal form and the respondent can also submit their response online. Three experts are then appointed to a complaints panel to make a decision. The public will have until 19 September 2024 to comment on the planned changes; the new regulations are then due to come into force on 1 October 2024.