David Weslow Featured in Online Radio Segment on Domain Name Theft

July 21, 2015

David E. Weslow, a partner in Wiley Rein’s Intellectual Property Practice, recently appeared on the Cyber Law & Business Report, an online radio show, to discuss the growing problem of domain name theft. The program’s host, Bennet Kelley, noted that Mr. Weslow recently won a “groundbreaking” domain theft lawsuit on behalf of his client, Acme Billing Company.

The case was the first federal lawsuit of its kind on behalf of an e-commerce company that had domain names stolen by computer hackers based in China. The suit, which included claims under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection (ACPA) and  the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), concluded with Acme Billing successfully obtaining the court-ordered return of the stolen domain names. Mr. Weslow also filed a suit last month on behalf of another client, alleging violations of both the CFAA and ACPA for the illegal transfer of a domain name to a Chinese registrar.

Mr. Weslow said incidents of domain theft have increased significantly in the past couple of years. “The increase is attributable to increasing values of domain names, particularly in certain parts of the world where two- and three-number domain names and short letter-combination domain names are being given a very high value and are being sold at significant sums,” he said.

To listen to the interview, click here.