Trademarks and Domain Names in Sweden

Internet domain names are considered to have a great value as trademarks and intellectual property assets. The systems regulating them are still in an early stage of evolution, they have not yet been harmonized and systems in different countries are very different. This paper will describe the Swedish system, which is administrated by a non-governmental organization that controls both the development of rules and considers applications for domain names. The most interesting and original aspect of the Swedish system is that there are very strict rules with requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to register a domain name in the Swedish top domain .se. This system has resulted in a very low number of disputes concerning the right to a registered domain name but, on the other hand, it has caused many disputes when companies have been denied to register a domain name they wanted. The system has been criticized for being bureaucratic as well as lacking predictability and legitimacy. This paper will present these problems and interesting cases and examples of the consequences of the rules. This paper will also discuss the pros and cons of the Swedish domain name system.