Software & E-commerce

No area of intellectual property law is more challenging or changes more quickly or dramatically than intellectual property protection for computer systems, software, eCommerce, and information technology. Workman|Nydegger has many qualified patent attorneys holding degrees in electrical and electronics engineering, computer science, information technology, mathematics, physics, and other relevant technology areas. 

We are nationally recognized for our expertise in this area.  For example, Microsoft, a W|N client since 1995, was recognized in 2009 by IEEE Spectrum, a publication of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, as the IP leader among all technology companies.  Additionally, the Patent Board, a leading independent provider of patent metrics, ranked Microsoft’s patent portfolio number one in Technology Strength for the IT industry that same year.  And just last year W|N was ranked 14th nationally in terms of the overall quality of patents issued for its clients, across all industries, by Intellectual Asset Management Magazine.

At Workman|Nydegger we can provide you with well-qualified and experienced patent attorneys who

  • Understand and have been involved in the evolution of patent and copyright protection for software systems
  • Bring an up-to-date understanding of current changes in the law for this technology area
  • Have extensive real-world industry experience with both the design and implementation of computer systems, complex software, eCommerce systems, business methods, and database and information systems
  • Understand from practical experience working with many sophisticated clients over many years, both large and small, how to protect internet, e-commerce and business method technologies 

Recent Software & E-commerce Blog Entries

Are Your Trademarks Protected From Becoming .xxx Domain Names? They May Not Be Unless You Act Before October 28.

written by R. Parrish Freeman

One thing all Internet domain names (e.g., yourbusiness.com) have in common is the necessity of a top level domain, or “TLD,” such as .com, .net, .us, or any of over 250 other country-code and generic TLD extensions.  As of September 2011, a new TLD, .xxx, has been added.  The new .xxx TLD is, as the name suggests, a TLD dedicated to Internet-based adult entertainment.  It is a “sponsored” TLD, meaning the public at large cannot register .xxx domain names, only members of the “Sponsored Community,” namely, persons and entities affiliated with providing Internet-based adult entertainment content.  But this by no means guarantees that a trademark owned by a non-adult entertainment provider is safe from becoming part of a .xxx domain name.  The same force that has driven piracy of domain names for years—the ability of high value trademarks to draw Internet traffic—will no doubt drive adult entertainment providers to try to register high value trademarks as .xxx domain names.  An adult entertainment provider might thus try to register a .xxx domain name featuring your valuable trademark simply because of its notoriety, hoping to co-opt the fame of your mark into increased traffic to its website.  Cognizant of this risk, ICANN, the governing body for Internet domain names, has placed additional conditions on the initial allocation of .xxx domain names.  Chief among these is the opportunity for non-adult entertainment providers to reserve their trademarks during a “sunrise” period that is presently underway or, failing that, to register them later as non-resolving domain names incapable of linking to websites.  In either instance, you can act now to decrease the likelihood that your trademarks will appear in .xxx domain names and thereby link your mark and your company to adult entertainment.

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