David Taylor

The challenge of the Internet to brand protection was something that David Taylor recognised early and has been the focus of his pioneering practice for 25 years. His experience and vision has led to his recognition as being at the cutting edge of internet-related branding issues globally.

Originally an engineering graduate in the UK, David went on to study in France and obtained a doctorate in Physics in 1992. His scientific work made him finely attuned to the potential of the Internet that was shortly to be unleashed on the business world. As such he built a Domain Name and Internet Governance practice from scratch within the firm, naming it Anchovy®.

David advises a multitude of international clients seeking to optimize their global domain name strategy dealing with cybersquatters and cybersecurity issues, interlacing portfolio management with worldwide enforcement and Internet Governance yet always looking for the pragmatic solution. He was significantly involved in the ICANN new gTLD process over the 15 years. He was a member of the Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT) set up by ICANN in 2009 to propose and develop solutions to the issue of trademark protection in connection with the introduction of new gTLDs. He was also a member of the ICANN GNSO Council for 3 years, was a special advisor to the INTA (International Trademarks Association) Internet Committee between 2009 and 2012. More recently he was selected to sit on the ICANN Consumer, Competition and Trust Review Team (CCTRT) between 2016 and 2019.

David is a domain name panellist for World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), for UK domain name disputes with Nominet, and an arbitrator for EU and the UDRP with the Czech Arbitration Court enabling him to consider issues from an adjudicator's perspective. David also advises on software, copyright and privacy issues. When not assisting clients with domain name issues David likes to spend time with his family, ski and cycle.