I went to Domain Roundtable with some reservations. I was excited about meeting other domain portfolio holders, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the ICANN and Verisign people there, the corporate intellectual property people, and the corporate attorneys. I was pleasantly surprised by everyone I met. Chris Sheridan from Verisign was hilarious during Domain Sponsor’s casino night, and asked some really sharp questions during presentations. Many of the attorneys agreed that it was better to send “gentle cease and desist letters” or even make informal contact with alleged cybersquatting domainers rather than send the traditional “nasty” C&D letter.

M. Scott Donahey, who decided the first domain name case under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, acknowledged that selling domains is now seen as a legitimate business use of a domain. While many domains are still deemed to have been “registered in bad faith,” it’s no longer the case that holding a domain portfolio makes one immediately suspect as a cybersquatter.

John Berryhill was almost the funniest lawyer there. The two-part “Proactive vs. Reactive IP Strategy” was spirited and entertaining. Bob Cumbow described sending one of the very first nasty C&D emails (which had always been paper documents in the past). He received an immediate response pleading “Please don’t sue me, I’m 11 years old.”

I still don’t understand why Bob Parsons needs body guards. I bumped into him and the bodyguards on the elevator and asked him about them. They stiffened-up and he told me that they were to protect him from people like me on elevators.

I felt like the event was truly a roundtable. We all left understanding each other better. I was glad to hear that future roundtables will be held. I hope to be able to attend many of these.