David Weslow Weighs in on Gucci Domain Name Ruling

David E. Weslow, a partner in Wiley Rein’s Intellectual Property Practice, was quoted by World Intellectual Property Review in a February 11 article about Italian luxury brand Gucci’s recovery of 197 domain names from a Chinese cybersquatter.

The ruling, which transferred control of 197 domain names to Gucci, was issued under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).  In the decision, published February 7, UDRP panelist Harrie Samaras said the respondent, Lin Shi Jiang of Hong Kong, likely knew of the company’s trademark rights when the domain names were registered in March 2013.  Mr. Weslow told World Intellectual Property Review that the ruling was the latest in a string of rulings that Gucci had won in recent years.

"The decisions reflect the usefulness of the UDRP as a component of an online brand protection program,” Mr. Weslow told World Intellectual Property Review.  “Given the quantity and range of domain names at issue, the decisions also demonstrate that brand owners will need to adapt online brand protection programs in light of the continuing release of new generic top-level domains.”

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