Client News
Snell & Wilmer Represents Leading Cryptocurrency Exchange BitMEX® in Recovery of All Domain Names From Cybersquatters
Snell and Wilmer was pleased to represent HDR Global Trading Limited and HDR SG PTE, Ltd. (“HDR”) in HDR Global Trading Limited, et al. v BITMEXAA.COM. HDR operates the internationally renowned cryptocurrency trading platform BitMEX. In HDR Global Trading Limited, HDR pursued an in rem action against a cybersquatter who had registered over 600 domain names each of which, it was alleged, contained HDR’s BITMEX® trademark and a sequence of letters such as “aa,” “ab,” etc. HDR alleged that these letters and were used to trade off on HDR’s well known BITMEX® trademark and confuse consumers, leading them to sham websites.
HDR filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and was represented by Partners Mary Hallerman, David Barker, and Damon Ashcraft. Other attorneys who supported this action included Associates Gabrielle Morlock and Morgan Povinelli.
The court granted significant relief to HDR in an order dated July 12, 2023, that directed .com registry operator Verisign, Inc. to change the registrar of record to HDR’s registrar and to transfer all the domain names to HDR. This is a significant victory for HDR and for consumers who will no longer have to contend with the websites accessed by these domain names1.
Snell and Wilmer’s intellectual property group has an internationally recognized practice related to trademark rights online and traditional trademark prosecution and enforcement. Damon Ashcraft has been recognized nationally for his work with generic top-level domains and Mary Hallerman has been recognized for trademark enforcement and litigation in the DC Metro area (Bronze Band) by the World Trademark Review®. David Barker, Mary Hallerman, and Damon Ashcraft have also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for their intellectual property work.
Footnotes:
1. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict future cases.
About Snell & Wilmer
Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 500 attorneys practicing in 16 locations throughout the United States and in Mexico, including Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, California; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Dallas, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit swlaw.com.
