The international top-level domain name “.asia” is the new top-level domain approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) at the end of 2006 specifically for registrants at Asia-Pacific region. It switched the pre-registration procedure since January 2008 and began to accept registration applications since February 20, 2008.

Soon after the top-level domain name “.asia” opened for registration, a famous internet marketing company in China rushed to register the domain name “nipponpaint.asia” in the name of an individual. As the permanent legal counsel of Nippon Paint (China) Co.,Ltd., Mr. Chambers Yang, a partner of Haworth & Lexon, sent a lawyer’s letter to the person who rushed to register the domain name and then initiated an application for arbitration to the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre pursuant to the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy claiming for assignment of the domain name “nipponpaint.asia” to Nippon Paint. The Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre has now rendered an award that supports the claims of the claimant and the domain name “nipponpaint.asia” has been assigned by the registrar to Nippon Paint recently. It is learned that this is the first award that decides the assignment of top-level domain name “.asia” with regard to Chinese cyber-squatter.