Robert Rehm Moderates Panel Discussion at Duke Law's 9th Annual "Hot Topics in Intellectual Property" Symposium

Raleigh, NC (February 26, 2010) – Robert Rehm, a partner in Smith Anderson’s Intellectual Property practice group, moderated a panel discussion among intellectual property law practitioners and academicians at Duke University School of Law's 9th Annual "Hot Topics in Intellectual Property" Symposium. The Symposium was held on Friday, February 19, 2010, at Duke University School of Law.

The panel's discussion topic, "New Frontiers in Online Trademark: Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) and Non-Roman Domains," arose out of a recent initiative undertaken by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN") to expand the generic top-level internet domain space and offer support for internet domain names in non-Roman characters. The panel discussed the potential legal and business ramifications of ICANN's initiative, focusing specifically on issues relating to potential clearance and dispute resolution mechanisms, increased cybersquatting activity, the role of trademark law in resolving objections to new gTLD applications, and advising clients in the new internet domain name environment. Identifying and addressing such issues will be at the forefront of the new era of online trademarks ushered in by ICANN's initiative.