Judge sides with Facebook in ‘domain squatter’ ruling

If you're like the 1.11 billion people who have a Facebook account, you've probably logged into the website at some point today. But have you ever been to Dacebook?

If so, your typing skills might need a little work.

No, "dacebook.com" won't take you to a real website. Nor will "favehook.com" or any of the other web addresses that are designed to be only a few keystrokes away from the world's most popular social network. Rather, those who register such names are call "domain squatters," and a U.S. District Court judge recently handed them a major blow.

Domain squatters typically buy domain names that are almost identical to those of popular sites in order to siphon web users who accidentally type in the wrong address. Sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter have such large daily audiences that even if only a few users end up at these lookalike domains, the squatters—who usually sell ads on their site—can end up making some free money.

Domain squatting has been illegal since 1999, when the federal government enacted the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. But it's always been difficult to enforce, since anyone can buy a web domain without much difficulty. Facebook hopes that this recent case will change that. The judge required that several squatters turn over 105 such websites and awarded Facebook almost $3 million in statutory damages, according to an article in TechCrunch.

While attorneys said that Facebook is unlikely to pursue the money, the company expects to take further legal action against those who take advantage of its intellectual property.

Companies that are planning to pursue litigation should consult with a Phoenix small business attorney. 

Categorised in: Intellectual Property Law

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