Domain Name Law

Domain names are increasingly part of a brand, and having the right domain name is critical to succeeding in online business. 

There are grifters and scammers out there who will register domain names that are confusingly similar to your domain name, and siphon off your traffic.  Sometimes they will try and ransom the domain to you, despite you being the rightful owner.  

Other companies, often larger ones, will sometimes try to push people off of domain names that could be useful to the company, despite the fact that their owners have a legitimate interest in them.  

 ICANN, the internet’s governing body, mandates that all domain names are subject to arbitration proceedings.  These disputes are commonly tried before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Based in Geneva, Switzerland, anyone in the world can submit their domain name dispute under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) to WIPO. Following that hearing, litigation in the United States may follow.  

We have represented both claimants and respondents in UDRP domain name arbitrations. 

Ron Green was an early pioneer in domain name law in Nevada, before most lawyers even knew what domain names were.  He has handled countless domain name matters, and for years if you saw a domain name case in Nevada that did not have Ron’s name on it, there was a damn good chance that the lawyer handling it had copied Ron’s pleadings.  He knows the nuances of this sub-specialty like nobody else.  

We have successfully represented clients seeking to protect their rights to domain names by taking away confusingly similar domain names registered in bad faith by cybersquatters, and protecting domain names from others who wrongly sought to seize them. Our experience with First Amendment and free speech issues is especially useful in dealing with domain name disputes that interact with these legal concepts, such as the well-known case of Beck v. Eiland-Hall, where political commentator Glenn Beck tried to take down the parody website <GlennBeckRapedAndMurderedAYoungGirlIn1990.com>. 

We are also experienced in litigation that can follow UDRP decisions, where one party tries to overturn a WIPO decision in court. In those cases, our extensive familiarity with the rules and procedures of federal courts, and our knowledge of federal domain name law, can help make sure your rights are protected.