Luca Barbero is the CEO and founder of Studio Barbero SpA, an IP firm based in Turin, advising multinational corporations operating in various fields - since over twenty-five years - on trademark and copyright infringement online, sale of counterfeit products on the internet, trademark misappropriation and identity theft on social media, abuse of IP rights on mobile applications, videogames, NFTs, WEB3 domains and providing online brand protection watching services. He is also Director of Barbero & Associates Ltd, an ICANN accredited registrar, based in London, specialised in the registration and management of thousands of corporate domain names worldwide.

Mr. Barbero has been a WIPO Domain Name Panelist since 2000 and serves on different panels as arbitrator and mediator including for the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center the Czech Arbitration Court in Prague, the Chamber of National and International Arbitration of Milan, the FORUM (Minneapolis) and the Global Intermediation (Washington).

Mr. Barbero has a J.D. from Turin Law University and a Master’s in International Business from University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He is an Italian Trademark Attorney and European Trademark Attorney, admitted to practice before the Office for the Harmonization of the Internal Market. He is a Professor at the “Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Intellectual Property” organized by the WIPO Worldwide Academy and the Faculty of Law of the University of Turin, as well as a Professor at the “LL.M In International Trade Law” organized by the University of Turin (Italy). Mr. Barbero is also a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on domain names and mediation/arbitration issues. He is a member of the Emerging Issues Committee of INTA, Cyberspace Team of MARQUES, Intellectual Property Constituency and Brand Registry Group of ICANN and Internet Committee of ECTA.

David H. Bernstein chairs the Intellectual Property Litigation Group at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Based in New York and San Francisco, Mr. Bernstein is widely recognized as one of the leading intellectual property lawyers in the United States. He also is one of the world’s leading domain name panelists, having authored hundreds of decisions, including many of the most cited decisions in the history of the UDRP. He also is an active arbitrator and mediator, including having served as a neutral in ADR proceedings administered by the London Court of International Arbitration, the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Mr. Bernstein is ranked in the top tier by Chambers Global and Chambers USA, which notes that “his knowledge and expertise as one of the leading trademark practitioners in the US is unmatched” and he is “best in class.” Chambers has also reported that he is “a real litigation rock star,” “the wizard of trademark law and strategy,” and “a luminary in the field.” He is said to provide “high-level strategic thought” and “incredible client service.” Mr. Bernstein is highly regarded for his “encyclopedic knowledge of trademark law as well as the understanding of strategy needed to win big cases.” Clients note he is “excellent on his feet,” “an exceptional, dynamic lawyer and a tenacious litigator” who is “just incredible in terms of strategic planning,” and “a great thinker, strategist, business adviser, and, when necessary, the best litigator out there, bar none.” Mr. Bernstein is recognized by The Legal 500 US, and included in its Hall of Fame, where he is seen as a “superstar” and one of “the best trademark litigators, hands-down,” “exceptionally knowledgeable,” “a brilliant litigator,” and “the dean” of the IP litigation bar. Sources say he is “one of the best, if not “the” best, attorney in advertising litigation and his opinions are thorough, well-reasoned, practical, and trustworthy.” He is also ranked in the top tier in the World Trademark Review 1000, where sources note that he is the “one you turn to when you have a fight you cannot lose” and is "undoubtedly one of if not the best trademark lawyer in the country.” Sources say he is “a leading light in the sphere and a luminary to many… [He] needs no introduction for his renowned trademark litigation prowess.” The praise he receives from his peers is equally emphatic: “Going up against him is quite an eye-opening experience. He exudes authority and really does live up to his reputation as an all-star litigator.” Managing Intellectual Property magazine has selected Mr. Bernstein as the Outstanding IP Litigator of the Year, The International Trademark Association has awarded Mr. Bernstein the President’s Award, and the International Who’s Who of Trademark Lawyers has selected Mr. Bernstein as one of the top ten trademark lawyers in the world. Mr. Bernstein is also a frequent author and scholar, and has taught trademark, advertising and Internet law at New York University, the University of California at Berkeley, George Washington University, and the Federal Judicial Center.

Tim Brown is Head of Brand Protection – in the intellectual property protection division. In this role Tim has advised some of the world’s foremost brands on Internet intellectual property matters over the two decades.

Tim also acts as an independent Expert for Nominet’s Dispute Resolution Service – the dispute system for the .uk domain name space.

Tim keeps up to date with key developments in Internet policy and governance and served as a member of Nominet’s.uk policy stakeholder committee from 2013 to 2016.

Tim has specialised in Internet intellectual property since 1996 when he focused on the interaction between trade marks and domains as part of his IT and IP focused law degree at Southampton University.

Karen Day Principal Legal Specialist - Brand Protection & Registry Operations at SAS Institute in Cary, North Carolina, Karen has responsibility for domain strategy for SAS and its many subsidiary companies. Additionally, she oversees all matters related to the operation of three top level domain registries - .SAS, .JMP, and .ANALYTICS – which were awarded to SAS in the 2012 round of TLD expansion. Karen is involved in the ICANN policy making process as an officer & board member of both the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group (rysg.info) and the .BRAND Registry Group (brandregistrygroup.org), while also chairing the GNSO Standing Selection Committee.

Sarah Deutsch is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in Internet policy, intellectual property, privacy and related issues. Sarah formerly was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Verizon Communications, where she spent over 23 years in the Legal Department. She was responsible for Verizon’s global intellectual property practice, and was the first attorney to oversee its Privacy Office, including managing its Chief Privacy Officer, attorneys and staff.

She was active in the establishment of the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) and the UDRP. Sarah was one of the five negotiators for the U.S. telecommunications industry in negotiations, which resulted in the passage of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and participated at events that led to the WIPO Copyright Treaties. She was the 2014 recipient of the Managing IP In-House Counsel Award at the America’s Women in Business Law Awards. In 2009, she received the Public Knowledge President’s Award for Extraordinary Dedication to Protecting the Free Flow of Information Over the Internet. In Spring of 2019, Sarah was a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, teaching a class on emerging privacy issues.

Sarah is a member of the Board of Directors for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is also a Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital civil liberties organization.

Lars Hoffmann is ICANN’s Vice President, New gTLD Program, Management and Deputy Lead. He joined ICANN in 2013 and since then has supported the GNSO, overseen ICANN’s organizational reviews and, since August 2020, has been a lead contributor to the development of the next round of new gTLDs, taking on the Deputy Lead function in November 2023. Prior to joining ICANN, Lars was an Assistant Professor of European Constitutional Law at the University of Maastricht. He holds a doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Political Economy from the London School of Economics. He was born in Germany and now lives with his family in Belgium. Lars speaks German, English, French, and Dutch.

Doug Isenberg, an attorney and founder of The GigaLaw Firm in Atlanta, is a panelist for all five of the ICANN-approved UDRP service providers, including WIPO, where has written hundreds of decisions under the UDRP and other domain name dispute policies. In private practice, Doug has recovered thousands of domain names for clients over nearly three decades. In 2009, he filed the largest complaint that has ever been filed under the UDRP. During ICANN’s expansion of the domain name system in 2012, Doug represented trademark owners and domain name applicants in objection proceedings. On his GigaLaw website, Doug has published a 14-part video “masterclass” on domain name disputes, which he regularly supplements with UDRP case studies on YouTube; and he also publishes GigaLaw’s Domain Dispute Digest, a quarterly update on filing trends under the UDRP and the URS, the only publication of its kind. His book, The GigaLaw Guide to Internet Law, was published by Random House in 2002.

Qiang Li, vice president of CNNIC, is currently responsible for basic business and innovation business development of CNNIC. He devotes himself to CNNIC’s domain name business, including .CN, .中国 (China), .公司 (company), and .网络 (network), as well as the real-name verification of domain name registration in China. While being engaged in ccTLD and New gTLD related issues, he has accumulated solid experience.

Mr. Qiang Li attained master’s degree of management in 2003 and is experienced in ICT management. Prior to his role in CNNIC, he had worked for scientific research institutions and governments for years, being engaged in the policy making, management of informatization and cyber security for 15 years. He worked as a board member of APTLD.

Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist is a seasoned technology executive and business leader who became President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on 5 December 2024. With more than 30 years of experience in engineering and business development of Internet service providers, Internet Exchange Points, and global network carriers, Lindqvist has dedicated his career to advancing the stability, security, and accessibility of the Internet.

Prior to joining ICANN, Lindqvist served as CEO of the London Internet Exchange (LINX), a leading operator of worldwide interconnection services, from 2019 to 2024. Prior to this, he was CEO of Netnod from 2002 to 2015. Lindqvist also chaired the European Internet Exchange Association (Euro-IX) from 2003 to 2020, which underscores his long-standing leadership in Internet infrastructure organizations.

Lindqvist has been a leading voice in Internet governance (IG) and technical development. He served on the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and led working groups within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and RIPE, where his efforts helped shape critical Internet standards and policies. Additionally, he has advised the Swedish government on IG, broadband policy, and other key areas, fostering collaboration between public and private sectors.

Lindqvist studied Computer Science at Uppsala University, Sweden, and holds an Executive MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Trevor Little is managing editor of IAM and World Trademark Review (WTR). As a legal and business journalist for over 3 decades, Trevor has headed up titles across a range of industries, covering issues as diverse as not-for-profit sector management, the business applications of new technologies and risk management. Throughout his career, Trevor has written extensively on the issues surrounding corporate value, reputation and identity, as well as brand management and business development. He has been interviewed about IP issues on national radio and spoken at a range of international IP and brand protection events. From 2009 to 2022 he was editor of WTR.

Paul McGrady is an innovator in the intellectual property space who enjoys a nationwide reputation as the go-to professional for legal work at the intersection of information technology and intellectual property, with special emphasis on trademarks and domain names. Paul and his partner Jason Elster, whom he met during their time at Greenberg Traurig, founded Elster & McGrady in 2023 and have since been providing boutique-level attention to their clients’ matters while utilizing their BigLaw skillsets. Paul’s mix of BigLaw and in-house experience makes him a practical problem solver and capable of participating in the creative process with his clients. His clients include many globally famous brands. Paul is the author of several books on Intellectual Property published by LexisNexis. He is a proud member of ICANN’s GNSO Council in the Non-Contracted Parties House. He is also a former member of INTA’s Board of Directors and a past chair of INTA’s Internet Committee.

Martin Michaus Of Counsel, specializing in Intellectual Property and New Technologies. Since 2000 Panelist and during the last three years Member of the Advisory Committee of the WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Center, Arbitrator of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA).

He is Former President of the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AMPPI) and of the Mexican Group of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). Former President of the Interamerican Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI). Member of the Association for Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property (ATRIP). He currently chairs the Committee on Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Traditional Cultural Expressions of AIPPI and the of the International Treaties Commission of ASIPI, Board Member of Global Intellectual Property Alliance (GLIPA).

Professor of Intellectual Property in the Postgraduate programs of the Universidad Anahuac and Panamericana. As well as in the Diploma of Ethics and Compliance of the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico. Member of the International Academic Council of the Master of Industrial Property, Intellectual Property, Competition and New Technologies of the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE) in Madrid, Spain and Member of the Academic Committee and of the Editorial Board of the “Iberoamerican Journal of Intellectual Property” of the Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

PhD candidate at the Universidad Panamericana (Mexico), Master in Comparative Law at the University of Illinois, USA, Bachelor of Laws at the Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico).

He has been recognized by Chambers Global The World's Leading Business Lawyers magazine, as “Leading Lawyer” for the last 15 years. In 2017, he was recognized by the International Who's Who Legal Organization, as a “Thought Leader” in Trademarks. In 2019, he was distinguished with the “Award of Merit” for his work in the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) and in 2023 was appointed as Member of Honor of AIPPI. In 2022 Abogadas.MX awarded him a recognition for his dedication and commitment as a Mentor in the “Abogadas.MX Mentoring Program”. In 2023 “The Legal 500” awared him “Lawyer of the Year”. In 2024, National Association of Corporate Lawyers (ANADE) awarded him, for his contributions to Business Law.

Zak Muscovitch co-chairs the WIPO-ICA UDRP Review along with WIPO’s Brian Beckham. Since 1999, Zak has acted as counsel on behalf of both complainants and respondents in over 100 contested UDRP proceedings and other national domain dispute mechanisms. Zak was counsel in several of the earliest precedent-setting court cases in Canada involving the intersection of trademarks and domain names. Zak is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association (“ICA”), the Washington D.C. based domain name trade association. Zak co-hosted along with INTA’s Lori Shulman, the first ever “Moot UDRP Hearing” in 2021. Zak is involved in Internet governance through his participation in ICANN’s Business Constituency, Rights Protection Mechanisms Working Group, IGO-INGO Curative Rights Working Group and Implementation Review Team, and the Transfer Policy Working Group. Zak comments on UDRP cases via the weekly ICA UDRP Digest. Zak is accredited as a UDRP Panelist by the CIIDRC.

Lawrence Nodine, Lawrence K. Nodine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WIPO UDRP Panelist since 2002. Formerly with Ballard Spahr, LLP. 40+ years specializing in IP litigation in United States federal courts. Admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, six federal circuit courts of appeal and 23 federal district courts. Adjunct Professor at Emory Law School for 35+ years. Received Georgia Intellectual property Alliance “IP Legends Award” in 2018. See www.gaipalliance.org/ip-legends-awards

Michael Palage is the Chief Trust Officer at InfoNetworks, an information technology company dedicated to building trusted ecosystems for data exchange. Michael has actively engaged in Internet Governance, ICT issues, and Internet Standards for the past twenty years. He has participated in ICANN since its founding, holding various leadership roles, including a position on its Board of Directors. Michael contributed to the drafting of the original UDRP in 1999. He frequently speaks on a wide range of technology and legal topics and has testified before Congress multiple times. Additionally, Michael has provided expert testimony in numerous domain name-related cases. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and a J.D. from Temple University.

Nisha Parkash is on the Board of The Brand Registry Group representing Sky as Head of Domain Management for Sky Group where she has played a pivotal role in the development and management of the .SKY Top-Level Domain (TLD). Over the past decade, Nisha has been instrumental in leveraging the .SKY TLD to enhance Sky's digital infrastructure, both for front-end customer sites and back-end API’s. As well as .SKY, Nisha manages the domain portfolio for Sky Group including licensees across the globe, DNS and SSL management also falls into her remit.

Lori S. Schulman is Senior Director for Internet Policy for the International Trademark Association (INTA) where she is responsible for managing the association’s various Internet policy and advocacy initiatives and serving as liaison to INTA’s Internet and Data Protection Committees. She is INTA’s representative to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Internet Governance Forum (IGF), World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) other Internet policy bodies. Lori has a varied background in general corporate and intellectual property law and has managed the trademark portfolios of Fortune 100 companies and major nonprofit organizations. She started her career as an Attorney/Advisor for the U.S. Trademark Office. Prior to joining INTA as a staff member, she served as General Counsel for a U.S. based, nonprofit, educational organization. Ms. Schulman is a former INTA board member and former advisor to the Public Interest Registry (PIR), the operator of the .org top level domain.  Lori holds a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University and a J.D. from George Mason University School of Law where she was a member of the George Mason Inn of Court. She is the immediate past president of the Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) and speaks frequent on digital policy, data protection and domain names.

Kiyoshi Tsuru Founding partner, TMI Abogados; Country Manager, BSA|The Software Alliance México; Arbiter and Panelist, World Intellectual Property Organization; Director of the Association of Mexican Videogame Developers; Chair of the Intellectual Property Section of the Private Sector Advisory Council for the negotiation of the USMCA and the EU-Mexico FTA; President of the Committee on Digital Competencies, Business Coordinating Council (Consejo Coordinador Empresarial); Member of the Information Technology and Internet Standing Committee of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI); Founder and past President of the ICT Committee of the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AMPPI); Founder and past President of the Intellectual Property Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce Mexico (AMCHAM); Founder and past President of the Technology Law Committee of the Mexican Bar Association.

JD, Universidad Iberoamericana (1999) with mention of honor; LLM in Intellectual Property law from The George Washington University (Thelma Weaver Memorial Award, 2002); Internet Law Program, Harvard Law School, Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society; US- Mexico Leadership Program CIDE-Yale University; Harvard Kennedy School Program on Cybersecurity and Policy.

President, Hypatia Women in STEM Foundation; Member of the Board of the Mexican Bar Foundation; Member of the Board of the National Artificial Intelligence Alliance (ANIA); Member of the Board of the Buersgenthal Inn of Court at the George Washington University Law School; Member of the Board of Trustees of Global Action Against Gun Violence (GAGV); Member of the Board of the Guillermo Aguilar Álvarez Arbitration Award.

Professor of Law (Intellectual Property), Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM); Professor of Law, Program in International Trade organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Escuela Libre de Derecho (ELD); Professor of Law, Program in Digital Economy organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Escuela Libre de Derecho (ELD).

Alex Urbelis is an internationally recognized technology attorney, cybersecurity expert and the General Counsel / CISO of the Ethereum Name Service. Bridging the gap between legal and technical expertise, Alex is also the architect of an award-winning cyber threat intelligence platform, designed to identify hallmarks of impending cyberattacks, counterfeiting, and other malicious activities. Making international news in March 2020, out the outset of the pandemic, Alex detected and helped neutralize a state-sponsored intrusion attempt on the World Health Organization.

Having previously served as the Chief Information Security Officer of the National Football League, Alex oversaw cyber risk and the NFL’s worldwide cybersecurity strategy. Alex also served as the Chief Compliance Officer of Richemont, one of the world’s largest luxury conglomerates.

Alex’s government service includes positions within the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Army JAG Corps, and the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. With a unique and multidisciplinary approach to the practice of law and cybersecurity, Alex has excelled at uniqely being able to combine technical and legal measures to deflect and deter cyber incidents. With a background as both a CISO and lawyer, Alex brings a distinctive perspective to issues such as threat intelligence, digital asset security, cybersecurity governance, and responding to sophisticated cyber adversaries.

Alex is also a Professor of Law at King’s College, London, and his published works can be found within the Financial Times, CNN, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Intercept, 2600 Magazine, and other similar media outlets. He is also a producer and host of the hacking-related radio show and podcast, Off the Hook, on WBAI in New York.

Alex’s commitment to public service runs deep: he is a member of the Technology Advisory Board of Human Rights First, the UL Security Council, the UL Research Institute Advisory Board, the Uniform Law Commission Committee for the Study of Cybercrime, the Uniform Law Commission Committee for the Study of Deep Fakes, the Society of Professional Investigators, and was a Board Member of the Internet Society, NY Chapter.

Geo Van Langenhove is Legal & Compliance Manager at EURid since 2011. His main responsibilities include providing strategic legal advice and ensuring legal compliance with EU and national legislation. Before joining EURid, he served as Sr. Director International Legal Affairs at Nuance Communications, a speech and imaging software company, and he held legal positions at EuroFiber, a telecom company, and IMEC, the Flemish leading research institute on semi-conductor technology. Geo graduated from the Universities of Brussels and Leuven where he received his Master in Law.  He also obtained a postgraduate in Intellectual Property Rights from the University of Brussels.

Deanna Wong is a specialist IP lawyer and has been active in the Asian region (focusing on Greater China) since 1997. After many years in an international firm, she continues her legal practice at Ernest LI & Co. (Hong Kong firm). She also founded her IP business consulting firm, focusing on the merging of legal and business strategies. Her clients include well-known international IP owners as well as SMEs. She also functions as a fractured in house counsel for a lot of her clients. She is an accredited arbitrator and has been a domain name panelist for different platforms for many years. Deanna grew up partly in Hong Kong, partly in New Zealand. (with a law degree and a science degree in biochemistry and genetic molecular biology). After an initial stint in management consulting in Australasia, her legal practice now focuses on the international aspect of all types of IP assets, trade marks, domain names, IP supply chain management, management, related training, commercial exploitation, development and enforcement of different types of intellectual property rights.