Great Minds Think

CyberSquatters Sit On American Idol Domain Names
Cybersquatters are opportunists who buy a domain name with no intention of using it except to resell it later for a way higher price. They anticipate what names will be in demand, and then they go to a domain registrar, buy all the names and variations they can, and sit on them until someone contacts them to purchase the name.

American Idol producers recently felt the “sting” when Cybersquatters bought all of the domain names pertaining to the finalists. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it. [See the whole story here]

What does the law say about CyberSquatting, and what can you do if your domain is ’squatted’?
If a domain name is available and it does not violate a copyright or trademark, anyone is able to buy it. That means that your name, your company name, even your dog’s name is up for grabs until you actually whip out the credit card. If you don’t,you’re giving someone else a green light to do it instead.

If your name is taken, you have three options:
- Buy a new name
- Contact the person through legal means, if you have a trademark or copyright to the name
- Contact the person directly to see if they will sell it to you

Not much rocket science here. If you snooze, you lose. Simply said.
Lesson Learned: When you find a great domain name that you want to register, don’t put off the purchase.

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Take a Ride on the WayBack Machine
The WayBack Machine is an Internet archive of random web sites that has been compiled and catalogues since 1996. The WayBack Machine is a great resource to see what sites used to look like before their current design, or to simply see a progression in design and technology for a specific web site. Hang out over there for a minute and see what your own site used to look like! [Click here for the WayBack Machine]

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