Internet, Domain Name, E-Commerce & Social Media

Services for Intellectual Property Owners

Greenberg Traurig’s Internet, Domain Name, E-Commerce, and Social Media Practice Group counsels clients on promoting and protecting their valuable brands and intellectual property (IP) assets on the global internet. Our experienced team has been practicing in this area since commercialization of the internet. We help clients implement holistic strategies to preempt, identify, and protect their intellectual property against online threats. Such threats include trademark infringement, dilution, cybersquatting, distribution of counterfeit goods, copyright piracy, impersonation, phishing, malware, spam, and fraudulent or deceptive behavior. We aggressively enforce each client’s IP rights across the entire online presence of their brands. Our team has recovered or shut down thousands of problematic domain names, websites, mobile applications, search engine ads, email addresses, online marketplace accounts and listings, multiplayer gaming platform accounts, social media profiles, and all manner of e-commerce platform accounts. 

We have significant experience with the U.S. Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), all manner of marketplace -and platform-specific takedown processes, and ICANN complaint and dispute resolution processes, including the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and corollary country-specific domain dispute resolution policies, as well as the new generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Legal Rights Objection (LRO). Our team excels at pragmatic and cost-effective approaches to dispute resolution, and leverages its extensive network contacts with law enforcement agencies and online intermediaries, such as domain name registry operators, domain name registrars, webhosts, proxy domain name and hosting services, search engines, e-commerce platforms, and social media platforms to help protect our clients’ vulnerabilities.

GT advises IP owners in the following areas:

• Recovery or suspension of infringing or abusive domain names, social media handles, email addresses, and mobile apps
• Phishing, pharming and other fraudulent attacks
• Trademark and copyright protection and enforcement
• Purchase and sale of domain names and IP addresses
• Domain name registration strategy, policies, and portfolio management
• Removal of problematic website and social media content
• Sponsored search and online advertising abuse
• Fraudulent or abusive email address and message issues
• Distribution of counterfeit / infringing products online
• Online marketplace issues
• Website terms of use and other policies
• ICANN and internet governance

In addition, we have substantial experience assisting brand owners and others seeking to obtain and operate .Brand or generic Top Level Domains in the next round of new gTLD applications or to buy or sell existing gTLDs.

Services for Registrars, Registries, E-Commerce, Social Media & Other Online Platform Providers

There is a reason we’ve become the go-to group within the domain name industry. We have actively participated in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the past 20 years and have advised many of the world’s largest domain name registries, registrars, and other intermediaries operating within the global domain name system. Our team members have accredited and operated domain name registrars for clients, and achieved the first accreditation for a law firm-owned registrar. We were actively involved in the policy development process for the first round of new gTLD applications in 2012 and we successfully counseled clients on well over 250 new gTLD applications in that round. We have since participated in the accreditation, management, operation, purchase, and sale of numerous gTLDs and accredited domain name registrars, and developed policies for the next round of new gTLD applications in 2026. In addition, our lawyers advise clients on ICANN and Internet governance matters, as well as general regulatory compliance matters and defense of all manner of third-party claims.

We are well positioned to advise and assist domain name registrars, registries, and virtually all manner of online platforms and intermediaries on issues relating to their businesses, including:

• Domain registrar accreditation, management, operation and purchase or sale
• New gTLD application, dispute resolution, management, operation and purchase or sale
• ICANN and regulatory compliance issues
• Domain name industry vendor, sponsorship and marketing agreements,
• Platform policies, terms and conditions, including takedown, dispute resolution, and privacy policies
• Technology and intellectual property transactions and licenses

Technology Development, Licensing & Other Transactional Services

GT counsels clients and drafts and reviews agreements related to the development and licensing of various technologies and related transactions including:

• Online advertising tools and services
• Software and platform development and licensing
• Consulting services
• Purchase and sale of domain names, TLDs, and IP addresses
• Other technology-related transactions