Alleges link between panelist and opponent for .Sport — Famous Four

Firm states panelist that killed its .sport application had a conflict of interest.

Last fall Famous Four Media saw its plans to run a .sport top level domain dashed following a panelist found in favor of rival applicant SportAccord in a community objection.

Famous Four appealed the decision to ICANN through a reconsideration request and lost.

Now the firm is claiming (pdf) it has found ties between the panelist that decided the case and SportAccord.

Panelist Guido Santiago Tawil is a partner at law firm M&M Bomchil. The firm represents DirecTV, and months following the .sport decision DirecTV secured broadcast rights to a number of Olympics, Famous Four states.

The International Olympic Committee is supporting SportAccord’s .sport bid, for all intents and purposes.

So Famous Four alleges that the panelist has a commercial relationship with a firm that has a commercial relationship with the Olympics, which in turn has some sort of relationship with SportAccord.

Famous Four also cites a connection between Tawil and a sports communications firm that also has a commercial relationship with the IOC.

Famous Four states it is “considering all options open to it in the light of this fresh evidence” connecting Tawil to its opponent in the objection.