SG Domain Name Dispute: Someone Registered Your Company Name as a .sg Domain

Short answer: If someone has registered your company name as a .sg domain, you can file a complaint under the Singapore Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP). You must prove three things: the domain matches a name or mark you have rights in, the holder has no legitimate interest, and it was registered or is being used in bad faith. The panel can only cancel or transfer the domain.

An sg domain name dispute usually starts when a company checks whether its name is free as a .sg address and finds that someone else, often a former partner or a speculator, already holds it. This guide explains the SDRP complaint from the complainant company’s side: what you have to prove, who runs the process, what it costs, how long it takes, what the panel cannot give you, and when a court claim for passing off or trade mark infringement is the better route.

Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms who offer cost-effective and efficient legal service and advice. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.

What is an sg domain name dispute under the SDRP?

It is a complaint by a third party against the holder of a .sg domain, decided by an independent administrative panel rather than a court. SGNIC (Singapore Network Information Centre), the registry for .sg domains, describes the SDRP as a cheaper and quicker mechanism than court proceedings for resolving disputes over domain names.

The SDRP is written into every .sg Domain Name Registration Agreement. That is why the registrant (the person or company holding the domain) must take part once a valid complaint is filed.

It runs under the Policy, the Rules of Procedure and the Supplemental Rules (fees and word limits). Key features:

• It is decided on documents. Under Rule 13 there are no in-person hearings unless the panel decides, as an exceptional matter, that one is needed.
• The language of the proceeding is English (Rule 11). Documents in other languages need a full English translation unless the parties agree otherwise.
• SGNIC does not take part in the proceeding. It only carries out the panel’s decision.

The SDRP covers .sg domains only. A dispute over a .com or another extension is handled by the dispute provider appointed by that domain’s registry, as SGNIC’s domain dispute FAQ explains.

What must a complainant company prove?

Under Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy, you must prove all three elements. If one fails, the complaint fails.

1. The domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a name, trade mark or service mark in which you have rights. The Policy refers to a “name”, not only a trade mark. A registered company or business name can therefore be the starting point, although the panel decides whether you have shown rights in it.
2. The registrant has no rights or legitimate interests in the domain name.
3. The domain name has been registered or is being used in bad faith.

Paragraph 4(b) lists circumstances that count as evidence of bad faith. The list is not exhaustive:

• The registrant acquired the domain mainly to sell or rent it to you, or to a rival of yours, for more than its documented out-of-pocket costs.
• The registrant registered it to stop you reflecting your mark in a matching domain, and has a pattern of doing this.
• The registrant registered it mainly to disrupt the business of a rival.
• The registrant uses it to attract internet users for commercial gain by creating confusion with your name or mark.

Paragraph 4(c) lists the defences a registrant will raise. These include using the domain for a bona fide (good faith) offering of goods or services before notice of the dispute, being commonly known by the name, or making a legitimate non-commercial or fair use. Your complaint should deal with these in advance.

The complaint must also comply with the Rules. Under Rule 3(b) it states the remedy sought, discloses other legal proceedings about the domain, says whether you agree to mediation, and confirms that you submit to the Singapore courts for any challenge to a cancellation or transfer. Supplemental Rule 9 limits the grounds section to 5,000 words.

Who runs the process and what does it cost?

The SDRP Secretariat runs the process. SGNIC says it is managed by the Singapore Mediation Centre. The Secretariat appoints the panel and passes the decision to SGNIC.

The complainant pays the fees under Paragraph 4(g) of the Policy. The one exception is where you choose a single panellist and the registrant asks for three panellists. In that case the fees are split equally between the two sides. The figures below are taken from the Singapore Mediation Centre’s SDRP page, checked on 28 October 2026. They cover the Secretariat and the panellist(s) and include GST.

If the proceeding is withdrawn or terminated before a panel is appointed, SMC keeps an administrative fee of S$1,080. If it ends after appointment, SMC decides at its discretion whether any balance is refunded. Under Rule 19(c), a complaint is treated as withdrawn if the fee is not received within 10 working days of the complaint.

How does the SDRP complaint process work, step by step?

The process runs on fixed working-day deadlines set by the Rules of Procedure. A “working day” excludes Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

1. Check the domain record with the SGNIC WHOIS search and keep dated screenshots of the website the domain points to.
2. Consider a letter to the registrant. Some disputes settle at this stage.
3. Prepare the complaint with the three elements, the evidence index and the required statements under Rule 3(b), then send it to the Secretariat and the registrant.
4. Pay the fee. Under Rule 4(a), the Secretariat checks compliance and forwards the complaint within 3 working days of receiving the complaint or the fee, whichever is later. If it is deficient, you have 5 working days to fix it or it is treated as withdrawn.
5. The proceeding commences when the complaint is forwarded. From then, the registrant cannot transfer the domain to someone else (Paragraph 8).
6. The registrant files a response within 15 working days (Rule 5(a)). If no response arrives, the panel decides on the complaint alone, absent exceptional circumstances.
7. The Secretariat appoints a single panellist within 5 working days after the response or the deadline for it (Rule 6(b)). A three-member panel takes longer to constitute.
8. If both sides agree to mediation, it must finish within 15 working days of the panel’s appointment (Rule 10(f)).
9. The panel issues a written, reasoned decision. Without mediation, this is due within 10 working days of appointment. After a failed mediation, it is due within 10 working days of the mediation ending (Rule 15(b)).
10. The Secretariat sends the decision to the parties and SGNIC within 3 working days (Rule 16(a)). SGNIC then waits 10 working days before implementing a cancellation or transfer.

What evidence should the complainant gather?

Gather evidence of your rights, the registrant’s lack of rights, and bad faith. Rule 3(c) requires you to annex all evidence you rely on, a copy of the Policy, and any trade mark registrations, with a schedule indexing the evidence.

If your mark is not yet registered, read our guide to trade mark registration with IPOS. Where a founder holds the trade mark personally, also see how to document the company’s right to use it, because the panel will ask whether the complainant itself has rights.

How long does it take, and what can the panel not award?

On the Rules’ own deadlines, a single-panellist case with no extensions and no mediation runs to roughly 46 working days, about nine to ten weeks, from the complaint to SGNIC acting on the decision. The panel can only order cancellation or transfer.

Paragraph 4(i) limits the remedies to cancelling the domain or transferring it to you. The panel cannot:

• award damages or an account of profits;
• order the registrant to pay your legal costs or refund the SDRP fee;
• grant an injunction against use of your name elsewhere, such as on social media or other domain extensions;
• deal with .com or other non-.sg domains.

A complainant also carries a risk. Under Rule 15(e), if the panel finds the complaint was brought in bad faith, for example to hijack a domain the registrant is entitled to, it will say so in its published decision.

What are the alternatives: passing off, trade mark infringement or a .com UDRP?

You can sue in a Singapore court instead of, or after, an SDRP complaint, but you cannot start a court case about the domain while an SDRP proceeding on it is pending (Paragraph 4(k)). Court claims can deliver damages and injunctions that the SDRP cannot.

• Passing off is a common law claim that protects goodwill when someone misrepresents a connection with your business. It does not need a registered trade mark. See our guide to passing off in Singapore.
• Trade mark infringement under section 27 of the Trade Marks Act 1998 applies where a sign identical or similar to your registered mark is used in the course of trade for identical or similar goods or services. Section 27(3) gives extra protection to marks that are well known in Singapore.
• For a .com domain, the relevant process is ICANN’s Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP). Its third element is stricter: the domain must have been registered and be used in bad faith. Fees are set by the chosen provider.

Under the Rules of Court 2021, a court case starts by originating claim or originating application (Order 6, Rule 1), and Order 5 places a duty on parties to consider amicable resolution. The SDRP Policy (web version dated 15 May 2016) still refers to the older terms “writ of summons” and “originating summons”. Court proceedings are conducted by a Singapore Advocate and Solicitor. If you receive a letter alleging that your own name infringes someone else’s mark, read our article on responding to a trade mark infringement letter.

What does the company secretary prepare and what does the solicitor handle?

A corporate service provider assembles the company’s records. A Singapore Advocate and Solicitor gives the legal assessment, drafts the legal argument and conducts any court proceedings. Raffles Corporate Services does not give legal advice or act in disputes.

Your own costs depend on the evidence, translation needs and whether you instruct a lawyer; the panel cannot order the registrant to pay them. If the registrant is a former director, shareholder or partner, or if you also want damages, it is sensible to speak to a lawyer before you file.

What happens after the panel decides?

If the panel orders a transfer or cancellation, SGNIC implements it after 10 working days unless the registrant files a Singapore lawsuit about the domain in that period. If that happens, SGNIC takes no further action until it receives evidence of settlement, dismissal or withdrawal of the lawsuit, or a court order.

Decisions are generally published in full online (Paragraph 4(j)). The registrant is also barred from transferring the domain for 15 working days after the proceeding ends (Paragraph 8).

No ACRA lodgement is needed for an SDRP decision. Once the domain is transferred, record it in the company’s records as a company asset, renew it in the company’s own name, and keep the decision with the board minutes.

What are the common mistakes?

Most failed complaints fail because one of the three elements was not proved.

• Relying on a name you only started using after the domain was registered, with no evidence of earlier rights.
• Filing in the company’s name when the trade mark is held by a founder or a related company, without explaining the link.
• Saying “bad faith” without evidence, such as a sale offer, copied content or customer confusion.
• Starting a court case while the SDRP proceeding is pending, which the Policy prohibits.
• Missing the 10-working-day window to pay the fee, or the 5-working-day window to fix a deficient complaint.
• Letting the company’s own domains lapse. Track renewals the same way you track ACRA deadlines; our free tools help with compliance dates.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the SDRP if I only have a registered company name and no trade mark?

Possibly. The first element refers to a name, trade mark or service mark in which the complainant has rights. A company name can be the basis, but the panel decides whether you have shown rights in it, so evidence of trading under the name helps.

Can I get compensation through the SDRP?

No. The only remedies are cancellation of the domain or transfer of it to you. For damages or an injunction, you need a court claim such as passing off or trade mark infringement.

Can the registrant stop the transfer after losing?

Yes, for a time. If the registrant starts a lawsuit against you in Singapore about the domain within 10 working days and sends SGNIC the court documents, SGNIC holds off until the case is resolved, withdrawn or dismissed.

Does the SDRP cover a .com.sg domain?

The Policy covers “.sg” internet domain names registered with SGNIC, and .com.sg names sit under the .sg country code. It does not cover .com or other non-.sg extensions, which follow the dispute policy of their own registry.

Last reviewed: 28 October 2026. The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services.