2025 Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre (ADNDRC) Annual Conference was successfully held in Seoul, South Korea, on December 5, 2025 under the theme of “Enhancing Corporate Online Brand Strategy with Domain Name Dispute Resolution”. The event was co-hosted by the ADNDRC and the Korea Internet Address Dispute Resolution Committee (KIDRC), with the joint organizations of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), and the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC).

(Conference Venue)

The conference drew a live audience over 200, including representatives from domain name dispute resolution institutions, domain name registry service providers, experts practitioner in the field, and corporate in-house counsel. The opening ceremony featured a welcome address by Sang Jung LEE, President of the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), while Liu Xuting, Chairperson of the ADNDRC, delivered a video address.

(Hang Min, Council Member of the ADNDRC and Senior Case Manager of CIETAC, delivering a presentation)

The annual conference comprised three thematic sessions. Hang Min, Council Member of the ADNDRC and Senior Case Manager of CIETAC, participated as a panelist in Session Two. She was joined by Louise Wong, Secretary General of the ADNDRC; Yune Gie Sung, Secretary General of the KIDRC; Yuji Yamaguchi, President of the Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Centre; and Raagini Sama Sundaram, Senior Case Counsel of the AIAC, for a panel focusing on practices under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).  The panelists exchanged insights on handling disputes involving Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs), including .cn/.中国, .kr, .jp, and .my.  Drawing from CIETAC’s nearly 25 years of extensive experience in the field, Hang Min briefed on CIETAC’s domain name complaint handling procedures and the current status of its case acceptance. She further provided practical guidance and suggestions for the protection of multinational corporations’ digital brands, drawing comparative analyses of different domain name dispute resolution mechanisms.

(On-site Discussion)

The conference also featured dedicated panel discussions on two key topics: “How to Protect Corporate Brands from Online Abuse” and “New gTLDs with dot TLD Branding”. These sessions brought together domain name dispute resolution experts, representatives from regulatory bodies, domain name registry service providers, and other industry professionals. The discussions, dynamic as they were, fostered robust audience engagement. A prevailing view among the experts in attendance was that the rapid advancement of the digital economy and artificial intelligence presents both unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges for corporate digital brand protection. They emphasized that the strategic use of domain name dispute resolution mechanisms, staying abreast of the latest developments in the domain name landscape, and building a comprehensive, systematic digital brand protection framework are of critical importance for the sustainable development of enterprises in the digital age.

Positioned in Asia with a global outlook, the 2025 ADNDRC Annual Conference concluded as a resounding success, widely praised for its substantive agenda and exceptional professional caliber.

(Experts in Attendance)

CIETAC serves as the Beijing office of the ADNDRC and is also an authorized domain name dispute resolution provider in China by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). CIETAC provides professional dispute resolution services in accordance with UDRP and the CNNIC’s Regulations on Domain Name Dispute Resolution for Country Code Top Level Domains. To date, CIETAC has administered over 4,000 domain name dispute cases involving parties from more than 30 countries and regions. Through its efficient and cost-effective procedures, CIETAC has effectively safeguarded prior trademark rights, combated cybersquatting, and played a significant role in optimizing the rule-of-law-based online business environment and fostering the stable development of the digital economy.