What Is Cybersquatting?

Almost as soon as there were domain name there were those who sought to register large numbers of domain names for re-sale to their more rightful registrants.

Known as cybersquatters, these scam artists often take aim at well-known brands, trademarks and company names, but also register common misspellings and typos similar to the well-known phrases and brands.

Further complicating matters is the cybersquatters' registration of names and a variety of extensions, including various country extensions and other top-level-domain extensions including .com, .net, and .org.

Fortunately, the courts - and the bodies and institutions that regulate and resolve Internet and domain name disputes - have tended to side with the legitimate business when confronted with actual and obvious cases of cybersquatting.

The best defense against cybersquatting, of course, is to keep it from happening in the first place. Strong defenses you should mount against cybersquatters include:

• Immediate registration of new domain names, for the longest period possible (don't forget to authorize autorenew)
• Include likely extensions such as .net or .org - as well as country extensions like .us or .eu - among your registered domain names if appropriate
• Trademark your business name and symbols for legal protection and proof of ownership; Copyright original work on your Web site for further proof of your ownership
• Keep an eye out for similar - often only a letter or two transposed - domain names: these could be the work of cybersquatters
• Place Domain Protect locks on your domain names to prevent their unauthorized transfer

Bear in mind that not all uses of similar - or even identical - domain names to yours are indications of criminal activity or intent. People and businesses do have the same names - there are, for example, only so many ways joesmith.com (for example) can be presented.

In such cases, though, you have an option. For legitimate requests for existing domain names you desire, Network Solutions offers a

Certified Offer Service: For a small fee Network Solutions places an anonymous offer to the registrant of the desired domain name, who has 7 days to respond or make a counter-offer. There is, of course, no guarantee that the offer will be accepted (or countered) but the process is simple and discreet and could result in your registration of the domain name you desire.

Again, one of the best ways to protect yourself against cybersquatting is to take the steps outlined here and on related pages to register, autorenew, and lock your domain names in your own name.