Cybersquatting

[Grant Barrett]

The commonly accepted definition of "cybersquatting" (at least by tech geeks) has finally appeared in the mainstream press.

For the record, cybersquatting is not about taking domain names that are otherwise copyrighted trademarks.

One side note: cybersquatting is sometimes done by companies that offer to find out if a domain name is free. So you do the search through their system for the domain name, they lie to you and tell you it's taken, then they register it, and then they offer to sell it to you at a large markup, and maybe force you to take other services as well if you want it.

http://www.latimes.com/HOME/BUSINESS/t000065272.html

Thursday, July 22, 1999
'Cybersquatters' Must Pay First  By KAREN KAPLAN

Network Solutions will begin requiring customers to pay for Internet domain names at the time they register them, a move that is expected to cut back on the practice of "cybersquatting." The change will take effect in September, the company said. Cybersquatters typically sign up for domain names they believe are commercially valuable, then offer to sell rights to the names at a premium. Critics of the practice have complained that Network Solutions' current billing system lets cybersquatters tie up hundreds of domain names without having to pay for them because the company's invoices take weeks or months to process. Jim Rutt, chief executive of the Herndon, Va.-based company, said the new policy will minimize such abuses. Customers registering domain names online will be able to pay the $70 sign-up fee with their credit cards. Copyright 1999 Los Angeles Times. All Rights Reserved