A fresh look at domain name management
Several factors should be addressed when companies are considering whether to change the way they manage their domain name portfolios, says Matt Serlin of corporate domain name registrar Brandsight.
New gTLDs: Restricted access
Some brand owners have applied for new gTLDs with the expectation of operating them solely for their own benefit, but can they insist on having exclusive access? Flip Petillion of Crowell & Moring has the answers.
Streaming services: Protecting the borders
The use of virtual private networks to enable paying customers to access streamed media content from other countries raises important questions about the protection of regional broadcast agreements, says John Illsley of Intangible Business.
Alibaba and Microsoft: A meeting of minds
In January, Microsoft and Alibaba Group teamed up to tackle counterfeits on the Chinese company’s various platforms. TBO assesses the agreement and asks whether it will result in a significant reduction in fakes.
User-generated content: use your head
Brand owners are increasingly employing user-generated content in their advertising campaigns, but they should behave in a legally responsible way when doing so. Adam Rendle of law firm Taylor Wessing reports.
New gTLDs: report card for rights protection mechanisms
The start of the new year is appropriate for a performance review, so David Taylor, partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, assesses the popularity of the new gTLD sunrise periods and the progress of the UDRP and URS.
Sony the lonely: the hack that stole Christmas
The cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment caused red faces as well as a possibly significant financial hit, but what did it say about the importance attached to the company’s IP? TBO investigates.
Seasonal woes for brand owners
Unscrupulous shoppers and brand exploiters are part of a toxic mix that allows the online counterfeit trade to thrive, and to make matters worse, IP laws in different countries are not as flexible as the fakers when it comes to fighting counterfeits. TBO reports.
Google: a battle of words
Whether Google plays a passive or an active role when offering its AdWords service is a continuing debate, as Marie-Emmanuelle Haas of Me Haas and Tobias Malte Müller of Wirsing Hass Zoller explain.
AdWords: clarity out of confusion
The position on trademark infringement regarding Google AdWords and keyword bidding has been clarified in recent years with a number of rulings handed down by the CJEU. Luke Portnow of Boult Wade Tennant reports.
IP on the silver screen
The awkward question of whether individual performances on film can be copyrighted is set to be decided by the US Ninth Circuit. TBO reports.
