June 2007 Update on NTAP Cyber Piracy Project
This article contains information on the pro bono assistance provided by three firms on this project and summarizes NTAP's research on various legal aid organizations. (To receive assistance, complete online survey.)
Pro Bono Assistance for Trademarks. Milbank & Tweed and Dickstein & Shapiro are offering their expertise to inform the legal aid community about how to protect their online presence. Additionally, they will handle trademark applications on behalf of LSC-funded organizations. Programs currently facing disputes will be vetted for consideration for representation.
NTAP will be sending out an email to Executive Directors about the Cyber Piracy project which will start the process of compiling programs interested in trademarking their names. (What is Cyber Piracy?)
(NOTE for NON-LSC Funded Organizations: NTAP may have assistance for non-LSC funded programs. Please send an email to cyber@lsntap.org if you're interested in receiving that and are non-LSC funded.)
Steps to Receive Pro Bono Assistance:
Research on Legal Aid Organizations
NTAP has conducted initial research on 138 LSC-funded legal aid organizations. This research has taken your program name or acronym, and has reviewed it as a .COM, .NET, or .ORG website address to find out what clients see when or if they mistype or are misdirected. To see how your program website url fares, see NTAP Research on LSC Funded Organizations (CyberSquatting).
Research on LegalMatch Settlement (AdWord Deception)
In March 2006, NTAP and PTLA gave LegalMatch a list of 238 programs (based on surveys completed in 06) whose names should be added as part of PTLA's Settlement with LegalMatch. NTAP staff searched these program names in four search engines (i.e., Google and Yahoo), and documented what search terms showed up that resembled a legal aid organization, but was not. To see how your program fared in search engine terms, see NTAP Research on LegalMatch Settlement (AdWord Violations)
O'Melveny & Myers (Los Angeles Office) has offered backup assistance to non LSC funded organizations for trademark applications AND has offered to help arbitrate or litigate cases on behalf of legal aid programs currently in disputes. Contact cyber@lsntap.org to let us know your situation and get information.
