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On October 9, 2018, an arbitrator appointed by the World Intellectual Property Organization issued an Administrative Panel Decision in favor of the New York City Investment Fund, L.L.C. against a cybersquatter who registered the domain name nycifgroup.com. NYCIF, also known as the Partnership Fund for New York City, is a prominent civic venture fund that since 1996 has invested more than $165 million in more than 200 companies, with the goal of creating jobs, spurring new business creation and expanding opportunities for New York City’s residents. The Philippines-based defendant, Markus Pedrigal, operated a website that purported to be the website of NYCIF and even displayed NYCIF’s address as its own. The WIPO arbitrator held that NYCIF owned trademark rights in the term “NYCIF,” and that Pedrigal’s registration and use of the domain name was not legitimate and constituted bad faith. The arbitrator awarded a transfer of the infringing domain name to NYCIF.

The Simpson Thacher team representing NYCIF included Lori Lesser, Marissa Lambert and Summer Associate Bobbie Burrows.