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Trademarks Brands and the Internet (TB&I):


ISSN 2049-2359 (Print) Cover image: istockphoto.com


www.worldipreview.com


Window of opportunity I’m writing this on April 24. It should be nearly two weeks since the application window for the first round of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) closed, and the IP world should be waiting with bated breath for the announcement of those companies and organisations that have applied, and what they have applied for.


Alas, it hasn’t turned out like that. To no-one’s great surprise, there has been a hiccup. ICANN did close applications, on April 12, but not for the reasons expected. A glitch in the soſtware used for applications “allowed a limited number of users to view some other users’ file names and user names in certain scenarios”, the organisation said. More details have been pretty difficult to come by, but what we do know is that the ‘big reveal’ will no longer take place on April 30 as originally planned. What happens when, from here on in, is something of a mystery.


Many will no doubt react with a gleeful ‘I told you so’ to the delay. ICANN-bashing is a popular sport, and those who warned that gTLDs were neither necessary, safe, nor useful will be smiling, as will those who questioned the corporation’s ability to administer the new domains. It’s clear that ICANN has some work to do, both in terms of taking practical steps to remedy the immediate problem, and in the slightly longer term, to repair its damaged reputation and rebuild trust with its stakeholders. Aſter all, applicants for new gTLDs have taken a leap of faith; for that faith to be justified, ICANN needs to make sure that this glitch isn’t symptomatic of wider problems with the programme.


We take a look at the latest developments, and also feature an interview with Olof Nordling, director of services relations at


ICANN, about what happens aſter the application window closes. Te interview was conducted before the recent difficulties.


New gTLDs threaten to transform the way people use the Internet. But then, so does everything, depending on who’s talking. Te Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been both lauded as a sensible way of reducing counterfeiting both offline and on (but mostly off), and, at least vocally, lambasted as an enormous threat to a democratic Internet. We talk to some of those with a stake in the outcome, and consider the power of protest, no matter how uninformed, to change the future of the Internet.


We hope you like the second issue of Trademarks, Brands and the Internet, and look forward to sharing your feedback.


Peter Scott, Editor EDITORIAL PANEL


Ben Allgrove, partner, Baker & McKenzie Andy Churley, head of products, Group NBT Annick Mottet Haugaard, president, European Communities Trade Mark Association Maggie Ramage, immediate past-president, Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys David Taylor, partner, Hogan Lovells Jonathan Zuck, president, Association for Competitive Technology


Trademarks Brands and the Internet Volume 1, Issue 2 3 EDITOR’S NOTE


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