Verizon counsel slams gTLD opportunists

“We have seen lots of cybersquatting but not a lot of innovation, which was one of the arguments for the new gTLDs programme”. So stated Sarah B Deutsch, vice president and associate general counsel for Verizon Communications, speaking at the INTA Annual Meeting earlier today, where she added: “We are seeing a steady flow of cybersquatters jumping in as new gTLDs roll out”. She therefore called on trademark counsel to record instances of abuse to inform later reviews of the gTLD programme.