I had some luck with a .de domain of my name that was being squatted. There are some judgements in Germany that say you have a special right to the domain with

I had some luck with a .de domain of my name that was being squatted. There are some judgements in Germany that say you have a special right to the domain with your name, and it's not just first come first serve. I don't remember what exactly I did because it happened a while ago. But it involved sending a physical letter to Denic pointing out that this was domain was my name. I never heard back, but when I checked in a while later, the domain was free for the taking and I bought it. I assume this only worked because it was a squatter and not someone else with the same name.