If Your Domain Name or Defensive Name is Not Available:
If your .PRO domain name is not available because it has been previously registered by someone else, or it is subject to a Defensive Registration, you have the following options:
- Register a Variation: For example, if your name is John Smith, instead of registering johnsmith.med.PRO, try johnqsmith.med.PRO or john.smith.med.PRO instead.
- Request Consent: If a name is blocked by a .PROBlock Intellectual Property Defensive Registration, you may request consent from the holder of the .PROBlock Defensive Registration to register a name for one of the .PRO strings. For example, if a .PROBlock Defensive Registration for smith.string.PRO exists, you can request consent to register one second-level string (e.g. smith.law.PRO). We recommend that this be your first effort in trying to register a blocked name. Consent forms are available here. (link to forms)
If You Believe That a Domain Name Infringes Your Intellectual Property:
First, contact the registrant of the domain name or defensive name registration. You may be able resolve the issue directly. If you cannot resolve the dispute, the following options are available:
- If the dispute surrounds an Intellectual Property Defensive Registration, all disputes shall be decided under the .PRO RegistryPro Intellectual Property Defensive Registration Challenge Policy. To raise a complaint under this policy, you must submit a complaint to an approved dispute-resolution service provider. You may challenge an Intellectual Property Defensive Registration ("IP Defensive Challenge") on the ground that, at the time of the IP Defensive Registration, the Registrant was not eligible to register the name registered.
- Domain names registered during the live registration process will be disputed through the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) or in the court system. The UDRP, adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"), will be incorporated into all .PRO Registration Agreements.
Go to the UDRP here ( http://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/policy.htm ). ICANN also contains a list of approved UDRP dispute-resolution service providers .
If Your Dispute Surrounds the Qualification or the Eligibility of a .PRO domain name registrant or Defensive Name Registrant:
You may raise a complaint under the Qualification Challenge Policy following the Qualification Challenge Rules . To initiate a dispute, you must submit a formal complaint to an approved dispute-resolution service provider.
You may challenge a domain name or defensive name registration on the ground that the registrant was either ineligible for a .PRO name at the time of the registration, or has since violated the registration restrictions.
Dispute-resolution service providers follow the Qualification Challenge Rules as well as its own supplemental rules. Please visit the service providers' web sites for more information. Qualification Challenge Providers with questions regarding the process may contact the registry at 312-994-7702 for additional training.
If You Have a Problem With Your Sponsoring Registrar:
First try to resolve the problem directly with your Registrar. Your Registrar is required to provide customer support and assist you with your concerns. When you register a domain name, your agreement is with your registrar and RegistryPro will not intervene in disputes between a Registrar and Registrant.
If your Registrar is unresponsive and your problem persists, please go to the InterNic Registrar Problem Reports page, which offers alternate suggestions for resolving Registrar/Registrant issues and provides an easy form for reporting problems with an official Registrar.