Suck it up: why brands can benefit from the .sucks TLD
Quite possibly the most controversial TLD ever to have launched, .sucks is now on general sale. John Berard, chief executive of Vox Populi, the registry behind the contentious domain, gives his side of the story and explains why brands can benefit from a .sucks web address.
Strides in the right direction
The British government is showing commitment to IP protection but there is still much to be done, says Mike Weatherley, former IP adviser to the prime minister.
ICANN: life after Fadi Chehadé
With so much going on at ICANN, the resignation of chief executive Fadi Chehadé couldn’t have come at a trickier time. Greg Shatan, president of the IP constituency at the organisation, ponders who might step up to the plate and discusses the task he or she faces.
The meaning of links
Whether the presence of an internet hyperlink could potentially be a copyright-infringing communication is a continuing question for the European courts. Peder Oxhammar and James Whymark of Baker & McKenzie report.
Countering the Alibaba effect
Alibaba Group platforms are often at the top of the list of brand-infringing e-commerce websites, says Jan Maarten Laurijssen of Pointer Brand Protection. Here are some tips for how brands can stay safe and detect infringements.
Case review: Starbucks (HK) v Sky
To establish goodwill for a trademark, it is vital to show that the product or service is provided to consumers in the UK and is not simply intended as advertising for a product or service provided elsewhere, as proven by the UK Supreme Court's recent judgment in Starbucks (HK) v Sky. Jeremy Blum and Flora Greenwood of Bristows discuss the case.
Defensive domain name registrations: should brands be sucked in?
Mobile apps are changing consumers’ relationships with domain names, which could reduce the need for brands to register generic top-level-domains defensively, say Antony Gold and Lauren Somers of patent and trademark attorney firm HGF.
It sucks to be a brand
The .sucks domain has caused controversy among some brand owners due to its pricing structure, but the registry maintains it has done nothing wrong. TBO finds out more.
Rising to the new gTLD challenge
The coming months will show how brands rise to the challenges and opportunities of an internet audience that is still relatively uninformed about the new gTLD programme, says Samantha Demetriou of domain name strategy consultancy FairWinds Partners.
Choppy waters ahead for streaming services
Proposed changes to performance rights licensing could result in a big increase in costs for music streaming services, says Paul Fakler of Arent Fox.
