Zak Muscovitch Unanimously Appointed General Counsel of the ICA

When Phil Corwin left the Internet Commerce Association (ICA), domain industry attorney and ICA member Zak Muscovitch stepped up into the role of General Counsel on an interim basis. According to an email I received this morning, Zak has been unanimously approved by the ICA’s Board of Directors as the organization’s General Counsel.

I think this is great news for domain investors. Not only is Zak looked upon as one of the smartest intellectual property attorneys with a focus on the domain name space, but Zak also has a stellar reputation among his peers outside of the domain industry. He has been advocating on behalf of domain name owners and investors, and it is great that the interim label has been removed from the title.

I reached out to Zak to ask about how this role will impact his law practice, and here’s what he shared with me

“I was happily serving as a volunteer ICA Board of Directors member for the last couple years, and although this was a significant time commitment, it did not affect my law practice at all. I really enjoyed working with Bob Mountain, Daniel Law, Jay Chapman , Jeremiah Johnson, Kamila, Nat Cohen, and Phil Corwin, the ICA’s former General Counsel. When Phil moved on to Verisign, I had initially agreed to ‘Phil in’ until we came up with an overall plan and strategy for how to reformulate the position and set ICA priorities. But then things started moving very fast with UDRP Reform, ICANN working groups, the GDPR, and more and before I knew it, I was neck deep in ICA business. Things however became taking shape and we were able to make some real progress on ICA issues, and I found myself more deeply committed than ever to making things happen for the ICA and its members. This however, has changed my law practice significantly, particularly since I have taken on the role on an indefinite basis.

Although the ICA position is technically a part-time position in addition to my law practice, I have had to make room for more and ever increasing ICA work by turning down and referring some cases and files, and working much longer hours. It has been a challenge no doubt, and I am still finding the right balance between my law practice and the ICA work. But as they say, ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person!.’ In any event, it is an honor and a privilege to serve the ICA and its members.

I am very happy that I have made this decision and am most grateful to the ICA Board and its members for entrusting me with this important work.”