GENEVA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Allegations of cybersquatting, or abusive registration of domain names on the Internet, rose to record levels in 2008, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said on Monday.

    A total of 2,329 complaints of cybersquatting -- an 8 percent increase over 2007 -- were filed by trademark holders last year, the UN agency said in a statement.

    "Cybersquatting remains a serious issue for trademark holders," said Francis Gurry, WIPO's director general.

    "Supported especially by registrar and registry stakeholders, the sale and broad expansion of new top level domains in the open market, if not properly managed, will provide abundant opportunities for cybersquatters to seize old ground in new domains," he warned.

    According to the agency, complaints of cybersquatting will likely continue to increase in the future. In order to tackle the problem, it has proposed a completely electronic dispute-resolution procedure.

    In 2008, cybersquatting cases covered a wide variety of sectors, reflecting prevailing public interest, business activity and upcoming events (e.g., Singapore Flyer observation wheel, Madrid 2016 Olympic bid, etc.).