When someone else holds a domain with your name in it

A business owner can search for their own name one day and find a website address that someone else has registered. It may be parked, offered for sale, or showing a copy of their own site.

There are official routes for a .uk name and for a .com. Each one asks the person complaining to show certain things.

Who holds the name

Nominet keeps the registration records for .uk names. Its domain lookup gives information about a name that is already registered.

Nominet explains that it publishes the holder's details only when the holder has agreed. A person with a legitimate reason, such as using its Dispute Resolution Service, can ask for them through a Data Release Request.

Your own trade mark

GOV.UK has a public search of trade marks. It says the search lets you check if a similar trade mark to your brand already exists in the UK and find out who owns a trade mark.

GOV.UK also sets out what registering a trade mark gives you. Once it is registered, you can take legal action against anyone who uses your brand without your permission. A UK registration covers the UK and the Isle of Man.

A .uk name: Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service

Nominet describes its Dispute Resolution Service as a way to settle .uk disputes without the costly legal fees associated with going to court.

To complain, Nominet says, you need to have rights (such as a trade mark) in a name that's the same, or similar, to the domain name that you're concerned about.

A complaint succeeds only if the person complaining proves two things, on the balance of probabilities. They have rights in a name or mark that is identical or similar to the domain name. And the domain name, in the hands of the holder, is what Nominet's policy calls an Abusive Registration.

Since 7 July 2026, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has run the service for Nominet. New complaints go in through WIPO's website.

The holder has a set time to reply. If they reply, Nominet offers free mediation, which either side can decline. Where there was no reply, or mediation did not settle it, the person complaining can pay for an independent Expert. The Expert makes a binding decision about the domain name.

Nominet says a fully reasoned case can take around eight to 12 weeks from start to finish.

A .com or similar: WIPO's UDRP

WIPO handles disputes over names such as .com, .net and .org under a policy called the UDRP. In WIPO's words, The UDRP applies to all domain names in gTLDs (e.g., .COM, .NET, and .ORG).

The UDRP itself is a policy published by ICANN, and it is written to the holder of the domain name. Paragraph 4(a) says the holder must take part in a proceeding when the person complaining asserts that:

The Policy adds: In the administrative proceeding, the complainant must prove that each of these three elements are present.

If someone has copied your website or photos

Copyright comes into being by itself. GOV.UK says You get copyright protection automatically, with no application and no fee. It adds that There is not a register of copyright works in the UK.

GOV.UK lists photography and web content among the work it covers. It also says copyright prevents people from putting it on the internet.

GOV.UK says: It's your responsibility to defend your intellectual property (IP) and to take action if someone's used it without permission (known as 'infringement'). It gives three steps, in this order.

  1. Get the other party to stop, or come to an agreement with them.
  2. Use mediation or another type of dispute resolution.
  3. Take legal action if the dispute cannot be resolved by other means.

On the first step, GOV.UK says you can contact the other party and ask them to stop. It gives a warning beside that. You can be sued for making unjustified threats. You may want to seek legal advice before contacting the other party.

Mediation can be used in most IP disputes, GOV.UK says. Mediators provide an independent view on a dispute. They cannot make a decision for you. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) runs its own mediation service.

For the last step, GOV.UK says copyright infringement claims can only be filed through the courts. It adds that a court will expect you to have tried to resolve your dispute, possibly through mediation, before starting legal proceedings.

The IPO publishes a copyright notice for people who may find their own images being used online. The IPO says the notice is not meant as a substitute for legal advice on particular cases.

Getting professional help

GOV.UK suggests help from an IP professional, such as a solicitor. It says the IPO can also help. Its guide to IP attorneys says they can help with domain name disputes.

Useful links