David Weslow Discusses Controversial New Domain's Proposed Pricing and Operation

David E. Weslow, a partner in Wiley Rein’s Intellectual Property Practice, was quoted by Trademarks & Brands Online (TBO) in a May 6 story about the unusually high price of registering a domain with the controversial new “.sucks” suffix.

Some high-profile companies and celebrities have opted to register for a “.sucks” domain name—at a wholesale price of $1,999—in order to protect their brands, according to the article. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Canada’s Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) to investigate whether the registry operating the domain is engaging in predatory pricing or any other illegal activities.

“It is difficult to characterize the proposed operation of .sucks as anything but internationally discriminatory,” Mr. Weslow said. “ICANN’s referral to the FTC and OCA appears entirely appropriate.”

The article can be found here.