Computer Science Expert Reviews Online Trademark Infringement Claim

Case Overview

This case involves a company that produced proprietary web content bearing its registered trademark. The company protected its content through copyright registrations, however, it continually faced infringement on Internet sites that hosted stolen content. The company spent enormous time and resources attempting to provide notice of infringement and hold parties responsible for infringement activity. It was eventually forced to look to domestic companies which provide Internet services to pirate sites without terminating them as repeat infringers. It was alleged that the internet service providers are aware of the infringement taking place on these sites, are able to stop it, but choose not to. An expert in computer science and internet architecture was sought to break down these technical concepts into plain English to assist the jury in understanding the issues of the case.

Questions to the Telecommunications expert and their responses

Can you describe your expertise in computer science as it relates to this case?

I have been doing technical, academic, and research work in the field of communications, internet, and distributed computing since the mid-1980s. I worked on internet traffic optimization, content delivery networks, client-server architectures, virtualization, and fusion of the internet with mobile data networks. I am very familiar with these technical issues.

Are you familiar with these types of infringement practices? Please explain.

It is technically possible to selectively allow or deny specific content sites onto a DNS. Interestingly, a few web performance and security companies have decided to stop supporting inflammatory websites recently.

About the expert

This expert is well-versed in information technology and telecommunications with over 30 years of industry experience in the field. He received his BS in electronic engineering and his PhD in computer networking from the University of Sussex. He holds two patents related to distributed base station controllers and has authored over a dozen publications in his field. This expert is a member of several prestigious associations including the Telecom Council and the Center for Telecom Management at USC Marshall. Previously, this expert served as the vice president of business development at Huawei and as the managing director of research and development at Vodafone Group. He also served as senior director of internet systems and services at AirTouch Cellular. He currently works as a private consultant in the telecommunications industry.