Intellectual property lawyer Joshua
S. Jarvis of Foley Hoag LLP was recently appointed as the Intellectual Property
Owners Association (IPO) liaison to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN).
"Foley Hoag's intellectual property practice is dedicated to protecting our
client's brands, and Josh's considerable experience in online brand protection
and domain name disputes will serve him well in this endeavor," said Don Ware,
chair of the firm's Intellectual Property Group. "We are pleased that Josh has
this opportunity to support our clients, and all brand owners, on the ICANN
world stage."
ICANN is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation formed in 1998 with
participants from all over the world, tasked with keeping the Internet secure,
stable and interoperable. With input from participants worldwide, the
organization develops and implements policy related to the Internet’s unique
identifier systems, such as the popular .com and .net top-level domains. ICANN
is currently considering a number of issues relevant to brand protection,
including a proposal to significantly expand the Internet by adding hundreds of
new top-level domains, which could include generic terms like .guns or brands
like .google.
Mr. Jarvis, who focuses his practice on trademark, copyright, and
Internet-related matters, is a member of the IPO Trademark Law (U.S.) committee,
and in that capacity has advised IPO leadership regarding various trademark and
Internet issues, including ICANN’s proposal to expand the domain name space.
"The Internet is still the Wild West when it comes to brand protection, and
companies are facing increasingly complex challenges protecting their
intellectual property in an interconnected world," said Mr. Jarvis. "ICANN plays
a key role in shaping this landscape, so brand owners must be vigilant and vocal
members of the ICANN community."
IPO, established in 1972, is a trade association for owners of patents,
trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. IPO is the only association in the
U.S. that serves all intellectual property owners in all industries and all
fields of technology. The association advocates effective and affordable IP
ownership rights and provides a wide array of services to members. It
concentrates on supporting member interests relating to legislative and
international issues, analyzing current IP issues, providing information and
educational services, and disseminating information to the general public on the
importance of intellectual property rights.