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Law firm launches new TLD service

Kevin Murphy, October 19, 2010, 13:47:19 (UTC), Domain Registries

The law firm Crowell & Moring has launched a practice dedicated to helping companies apply for – and sue other applicants for – new top-level domains.
The company also said today it has hired Bart Lieben, the Brussels-based lawyer who probably has more recent experience launching new TLDs than most others in his field.
Crowell says it will offer these services:

* gTLD Assessment Services
o Feasibility study and strategic advice for brand owners and others prior to filing an application
* gTLD Application Services
o Preparation and filing of ‘New gTLD’ applications
* gTLD Litigation
o Against other applicants during and after the application process
o Against third parties opposing an application
* gTLD Launch and Implementation Assistance
o On-going assistance, post filing and execution of ICANN contract by applicant

With the new TLD round looking like a near certainty for 2011, there’s money to be made in consulting, and it’s hardly surprising that the lawyers are moving in.
World Trademark Review reported earlier this month that Hogan Lovells has become the first such firm to gain ICANN registrar accreditation in an effort to help its clients navigate new TLDs.
The new Crowell unit is being headed by Brussels-based Flip Petillion (an occasional WIPO panelist on UDRP cases) and Washington, DC-based John Stewart.
New hire Lieben has previously helped with the launches of .mobi and .tel. He was involved heavily with .CO Internet’s sunrise, and is currently helping GMO Registry and .SO Registry with the forthcoming .so launch.


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Comments (6)

  1. “With the new TLD round looking like a near certainty for 2011, there’s money to be made in consulting, and it’s hardly surprising that the lawyers are moving in. ”
    =============
    As 2011 approaches, consumers continue to move OUT.
    They are being moved AWAY from the legacy .NET.
    New TLDs will appear AWAY from the “ICANN Process”.
    Consumers will have more variety. “Lawyers” will likely continue to claim those TLDs do not exist.

  2. Meanwhile, ICANN continues to move people up in the Multi-Level-Marketing empire.
    From RIPE RIR emerges…another “perfect” candidate.
    “Filiz is a 14-year veteran of international Internet policy formation and the IT industry. A citizen of Turkey, educated in the Middle East and living in Europe, Filiz helps broaden ICANN’s already diverse community. She possesses the right balance of technical understanding and international experience to place her in the perfect position to work with the existing and expanding general community of Internet users.”

  3. Bart Lieben is an absolute genius, a true subject matter expert in the field of new TLDs and Trademark, and a magnificent hire.
    The combined team of John, Flip and Bart will make this a very strongly positioned application provider.

  4. […] is one of a small number of law firms with a specialist domain name consulting arm. It is affiliated with the IP Clearinghouse, which wants to play a key role in new TLD launches. […]

  5. […] launched earlier this month by sunrise specialist Bart Lieben, who recently joined the law firm Crowell & Moring. After contested sunrise applications are wound up with a Pool.com auction, a landrush will follow, […]

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