Fort Lauderdale, FL – November 19, 2018 – Greenspoon Marder partner, Franklin Homer, successfully assisted a client resolve a Complaint filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) Arbitration and Mediation Center. The resolution stemmed from a complaint wherein a competing company claimed that Mr. Homer’s client had used a confusingly similar web domain to sell its products. Moreover, the complainant attempted to draw in an outside multinational organization by alerting that entity to products being sold on the disputed website that were purportedly infringing on the third party’s protected trademark. Mr. Homer’s attention to the WIPO’s various rules relating to domain name disputes allowed for a quick resolution to the satisfaction of Greenspoon Marder’s client without any payment to WIPO or the complainant. Ultimately, Mr. Homer was able to communicate with both outside entities who contended that his client was infringing on their intellectual property, separately resolving the disputes without incurring any unnecessary expense for his client.
“Companies frequently use websites to sell similar products and services and their web domains and names sometimes overlap. Clients should understand that whether they feel that someone is benefiting from their goodwill and intellectual property, or vice versa, it is not always necessary to expend unnecessary funds filing suit or defending a grievance in court or arbitration. Sometimes as an advocate, attorneys are able to simply keep matters from escalating and ensuring all parties are satisfied with the outcome, saving everyone time and money. This happened to be one of those instances,” explained Mr. Homer.
Mr. Homer spent several years litigating and defending clients in highly regulated industries. His practice has evolved to focus more on proactive regulatory compliance and assisting clients in responding to investigative demands and early stage litigation.