Afnic changes price conditions to ADR procedure

Afnic, as part of its role the .fr registry and within the framework of its agreement with the French State, has put in place two alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures: Syreli and Parl Expert. These procedures are exclusively electronic and accessible via the dedicated platforms: syreli.fr and parl-expert.fr.

These procedures offer an extrajudicial means for users who consider that a third party has infringed their rights by registering a .fr domain name or an overseas TLD (.re, .pm, .tf, .wf and .yt).

In the case of either procedure, the claimant must provide proof of standing and justify, by any means, that the domain name under dispute falls within one of the cases set out in Article L. 45-2 of the CPCE (French Electronic Communications and Telecommunications Act).

For Syreli, a College composed of Afnic employees meets to adjudicate and hand down rulings. The cost of the procedure is 250 EUR excluding VAT and is payable by the claimant.

Claimants who obtain a favourable decision are currently able to request reimbursement of a lump sum of €150 within three months of being notified of the ruling.

As of 1 January 2023, Afnic will be removing this reimbursement option.

“This decision reflects the significant increase in resolution requests received, which creates a need for additional resources and investments in order to continue to process claims while maintaining the conditions of independence and the shortest possible time frames. Afnic has chosen to put an end to this reimbursement rather than to increase the general cost of the procedure. Despite this decision, the Syreli procedure remains affordable compared to other judicial and extrajudicial procedures which can be over €1,500.”

“In this perspective, and to flesh out its offering, Afnic plans to put in place an entirely free mediation service prior to the Syreli procedures in 2023. Afnic is thus pursuing and enhancing its commitment to combat abuse by offering a range of accessible dispute resolution services while also improving the quality and timeliness of rulings.”