Squatting does not pay

Cyber squatting followed by a ransom demand in full public view does not pay. International laws have converged into the norms set by ICANN and WIPO and these do not support any form of cyber squatting. Add a ransom and you have trouble while you squat.

Way back in 1995/96 in the early days of the Internet in India, I remember being asked by a client to book domain names of various established firms in India. I spent a few hours explaining to how it did not make sense and the problems he could face ahead for playing around with an established trade-mark. Cyber squatting was very much on the mind of the such people and some people must have made a killing but I would like to believe that a majority have been evicted without any gains.

This recent case should provide some guidance for deterrence to wannabe squatters and in-the-act squatters should vacate the domain names and garner some goodwill from their victims. The goodwill may generate rewards too, like any good deed brings some good by itself.

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World's second richest man gets Web name back for free
Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:21pm EST
GENEVA (Reuters) - The world's second richest man, Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim Helu, won control for free on Wednesday of a Web address in his name that an Indonesian had tried to sell him for $55 million.

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