Cybersquatting and Typosquatting Tips
Small business website owners unfamiliar with the terms cybersquatting and typosquatting should take a moment to learn a little about these subjects.
Registration of domain names for deceptive or unscrupulous reasons such as unfair trade practices or misuse of an established website based on a famous name may be covered by US federal law. If you feel that a person has in fact taken a domain name similar to your name in violation of this law, you may want to investigate the possible legal recourse available to you.
For website owners in the USA, the Truth in Domain Names Act, also called the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is explained eloquently at Wikipedia. Visit their site to learn about cybersquatting here, and while you're there check out typosquatting here.
Some cases with familiar famous names are presented. This is a good starting point for website owners to learn about the subtle difference between offensive practices and illegal activity before engaging in the services of legal counsel. The intent and content of the similar site is the real test that may affect your rights.
Wal-mart first registered their domain as walmart.com not realizing that dashes could be used in their domain name to match the formal corporate spelling. They immediately added wal-mart.com and eventually the misspelled version wallmart.com to redirect visitors to their official and correctly spelled commercial site.
These cybersquatting and typosquatting tips may not apply to your small business website, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of the activity just in case it eventually affects you.
TAGS: advice domain names domain registration cybersquatting typosquatting
Registration of domain names for deceptive or unscrupulous reasons such as unfair trade practices or misuse of an established website based on a famous name may be covered by US federal law. If you feel that a person has in fact taken a domain name similar to your name in violation of this law, you may want to investigate the possible legal recourse available to you.
For website owners in the USA, the Truth in Domain Names Act, also called the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is explained eloquently at Wikipedia. Visit their site to learn about cybersquatting here, and while you're there check out typosquatting here.
Some cases with familiar famous names are presented. This is a good starting point for website owners to learn about the subtle difference between offensive practices and illegal activity before engaging in the services of legal counsel. The intent and content of the similar site is the real test that may affect your rights.
Wal-mart first registered their domain as walmart.com not realizing that dashes could be used in their domain name to match the formal corporate spelling. They immediately added wal-mart.com and eventually the misspelled version wallmart.com to redirect visitors to their official and correctly spelled commercial site.
These cybersquatting and typosquatting tips may not apply to your small business website, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of the activity just in case it eventually affects you.
TAGS: advice domain names domain registration cybersquatting typosquatting
Jim Degerstrom 
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