DP&F Showcases Domain Enforcement Expertise

Don’t forget to check out Chris Passarelli and Scott Gerien’s recent continuing legal education (CLE) presentation for the Business Law Section of the California State Bar, entitled, “2014 Hot Topics: Domain Enforcement and Brand Protection: The Rise of gTLDs” originally presented via webinar on July 17, 2014.

This program qualifies for 1 hour of general MCLE credit, courtesy of the State Bar of California. The recorded version is now available for purchase on the State Bar’s online CLE Catalog.

A copy of the presentation materials is available here.

The introduction of new generic Top Level Domains (“gTLD’s”), such as .wine and .cocacola, has created an environment which presents challenges for the protection of brands worldwide.  Literally thousands of new gTLDs are emerging at this time, with a corresponding increase in expense to brand owners, who must monitor and enforce trademark rights against third parties filing the new domains.  This program explores aspects of the gTLD rollout of importance to brand owners, including new and old enforcement mechanisms and the newly-established Trademark Clearinghouse intended to facilitate protection of established brands, and looks at some of the peculiar challenges faced by Geographical Indication interests, and in particular – the wine industry.

*Also be on the lookout for Chris Passarelli’s upcoming feature article on ICANN’s introduction of new top-level domains, including the controversial <.wine> domain, as part of the New gTLD Program, entitled: “Meet the new digital frontier: .wine” to be featured in the September 2014 edition of Practical Winery & Vineyard Management.