Eugene Rome

Founder and principal of Rome LLP, A.P.C., Eugene Rome is an accomplished litigator and transactional attorney representing clients in both the United States and abroad in the areas of intellectual property law, payment processing matters, and domain name disputes. He also possesses a wealth of experience in entertainment, business, and catastrophic injury matters.

Mr. Rome actively represents clients in matters involving Internet disputes as well as financial and electronic payment processing. An expert in payment processing disputes, Mr. Rome has an in-depth understanding of the Association Rules and industry practices, has routinely established jurisdiction in U.S. courts over foreign processing entities, and secured tens of millions in settlements and judgments for his payment processing clients. Mr. Rome has also litigated cutting-edge domain name and cryptocurrency matters, many involving issues of first impression. Mr. Rome is routinely requested to present on payment processing issues and developments as well as domain name disputes at industry events and conferences.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Rome has handled a multitude of various matters, including securities, banking and pharmaceutical class-actions, and various complicated personal injury matters.

Mr. Rome also serves as outside counsel to domain name registrars, web service providers, lead generator companies, and other Internet businesses. His domain name practice includes representing clients in intellectual property, compliance issues, and other legal proceedings involving:

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA)
Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM) and analogous state law provisions

In addition to his work in Internet and business law, Mr. Rome and his colleagues at Rome LLP have developed a niche in cryptocurrency and blockchain matters. Mr. Rome and his colleagues at Rome LLP litigate cases on behalf of aggrieved investors in cryptocurrency scams as well as disputes between parties to novel blockchain technologies, such as blockchain domains.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Rome has handled a multitude of various matters, including securities, banking and pharmaceutical class-actions, various complicated personal injury matters, including catastrophic multi-party injury claims, insurance coverage and bad faith claims, and entertainment disputes for clients including, Tab Hunter, Sarah Brightman, Jay Rifkin, and others.

Mr. Rome is admitted to practice in California, both in federal and state courts. He is fluent in Russian and speaks conversational French.

Selected To Super Lawyers: 2023
Selected To Super Lawyers: 2022
Selected To Super Lawyers: 2021
Selected To Rising Stars: 2013 – 2014

Representative Cases

Payment Processing Matters

Currently representing hundreds of merchants in payment and reserve funds disputes with dozens of Independent Sales Organizations (“ISOs”) and acquirer banks. Representations include payment activity analysis, evaluation of reporting and charges, mitigation service analysis, and assessment of fees chargeable to high-risk merchant accounts. To date, Mr. Rome and colleagues at Rome LLP have collected tens of millions in “lost,” stolen, and diverted merchant funds.
In 2016, after a two-week jury trial, Mr. Rome obtained a $9 million verdict consisting of $1.5 million in actual damages and $7.5 million in a dispute involving a Philippine bank and processor who, along with an elaborate web of individuals and companies, worked in concert to divert funds belonging to his clients. Subsequently, the verdict was affirmed in significant part on appeal.
In 2015, Mr. Rome conducted a jury trial in which he procured a $2.4 million verdict, which included $1.45 million in punitive damages, in a case entailing a breached oral agreement and fraudulent concealment of more than $1.4 million in profits to a partnership in a complex international payment processing relationship. In 2017, Mr. Rome argued the 9th Circuit appeal in this matter, securing an order affirming the verdict that was issued within a week of the argument.

Domain Name Litigation

In 2022, Mr. Rome, along with colleagues at Rome LLP, represented Namecheap, Inc. in an ACPA / contributory infringement case brought by Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram which garnered considerable industry coverage. Following extensive motion practice and a Ninth Circuit appeal, the matter was resolved.
Currently representing Freenom in a suit brought by Meta, Inc., for ACPA violations and trademark infringement.
In 2018, following a highly contested series of hearings, Mr. Rome procured a very rare remedy for his longstanding domain name registrar client, Namecheap, Inc. Specifically, Mr. Rome and his team persuaded a Seattle Court to issue a mandatory preliminary injunction ordering the transfer of some 2.8 million domain names from a competing registrar to Namecheap under the BTAPPA protocol. Mr. Rome proceeded to defend the ruling at the appellate level. https://domainnamewire.com/2017/12/21/court-orders-tucows-transfer-3-2-million-domains-namecheap/. The case has resulted in extensive industry coverage and served to propel Namecheap into its present status as the second-largest retail domain name registrar in the world.

Crypto and Blockchain

Currently representing the plaintiffs in a claim arising out of investments in Bitcoin Latinum.
Representing the owner of TLD .wallet in a suit brought by Unstoppable Domains, concerning blockchain (non-ICANN administered) domain names.
Representing a number of investors in various crypto and blockchain investments.

Business Litigation

Eugene and partner, Sridavi Ganesan, represented a former CEO of a 1500-person engineering firm accused of perpetrating a “rent-a-vet” scheme in a three-year case culminating in a 3-week long evidentiary hearing before a AAA arbitration panel in Delaware. Rome LLP came into the case after the engineering firm had self-reported and was fined by the DOJ in the amount of $5.27 million. Subsequently, the engineering firm pursued its former CEO for over $9 million in resulting losses in Federal Court and a AAA arbitration. Eugene first chaired the arbitration in which the panelist, in an 89-page opinion, cleared the firm’s client of claims of breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud, ultimately awarding the engineering company nothing on its claims.
In 2019, Mr. Rome settled two separate complicated personal injury matters involving traumatic brain injury claims. The first matter entailed a premises liability claim where a toddler sustained a serious brain injury and his family members who observed the incident suffered severe emotional distress. After two years of contentious litigation, Mr. Rome secured an $18.5 million global settlement for the family. In a separate matter, Mr. Rome represented a passenger in a horrific car wreck that resulted in a traumatic brain injury to the passenger. That case settled for over $4.75 million within a year of filing.
In 2014, Mr. Rome conducted a jury trial in a reverse-merger fraud case, securing a verdict in excess of $1.5 million consisting of $329,000 in actual damages, $987,000 in punitive damages, $176,982 in attorneys’ fees and $108,889 in costs. Rome’s client prevailed on each claim asserted, including common law fraud claims and California Blue Sky laws.
In domain matters, Mr. Rome procured a $1.3 million judgment in a mass cybersquatting case against all registrants of the infringing domains as well as individuals and companies monetizing the infringing domains.
In art matters, Mr. Rome was brought in to assist with prosecuting a forged art case. With Rome LLP’s help, the plaintiff, a prominent Parisian art gallery, secured an $800,000 judgment against the principal actor. Upon subsequent application, the judgment was trebled to $2.4 million under a rare application in a civil claim of California’s Penal Code section governing theft.